Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys Imbricata Facts about~ Sea turtles have existed for the last 100 million years. They have a narrow pointy beak like a bird to reach into small nooks in the coral to search for food. The main type of food for the hawksbill sea turtle are coral reef sponges, for most animals these are toxic making the competition very small. They also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, jellyfish and fish. They have a pair of claws on each flipper, with the males having longer claws than females. Males also have thicker tails and brighter colours than females. Threats against~ Since the times of the Ancient Egyptians the tortoise shell has been a prize for humans. The tortoise shell trade still illegally goes on today and is still used to make hair ornaments, jewellery and decorative objects. It is still frequently confiscated by the customs office. In Japan the shell is even used on traditional Japanese wedding dresses, the shell is called “bekko”. Plastic bags mistaken for jellyfish leave the turtle choking, those that survive eating the plastic, end up accumulating plastic in their stomach leading to a false sensation of being full and die of starvation or internal blockages and cuts by sharp plastic and eventually all lead to death. Hawksbill eggs are also still eaten around the world and even the flesh of the turtle in some occasions despite their protected status. Accidental capture in fishing nets is causing to be a problem, the turtles get caught up in the nets and then drown to death if not cut out in time. Other problems include coastal development leading to less beaches for them to nest on. Also climate change and coral bleaching which are destroying their habitats and killing corals, which is leading to less food abundance.