# Hawksbill sea turtle (*Eretmochelys imbricata*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/hawksbill-sea-turtle  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, belonging to the family Cheloniidae and the order Testudines. It is a large turtle with an adult body mass of 64.65 kg, with values from 62.3 to 67 kg reported, and its main food is benthic animal. It reaches sexual maturity at 20.7 years, lays 136 eggs per clutch with 3 clutches per year, and its eggs incubate for 60.6 days. The IUCN Red List classifies the hawksbill sea turtle as Critically Endangered, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 62.3 kg – 67 kg |
| Length | up to 1 m |
| Lifespan | 20 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 45 years |
| Main food | benthic animal |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 60.6 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 128 – 136.1 |
| Age at maturity | 17.2 years – 33 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Testudines
- family: Cheloniidae
- genus: Eretmochelys
- species: *Eretmochelys imbricata* (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms: *Caretta bissa*, *Caretta rostrata*, *Caretta squamosa*, *Chelone imbricata*, *Chelone imbricata*, *Chelonia imbricata*, *Chelonia pseudo-caretta*, *Chelonia pseudo-mydas*, *Chelonia radiata*, *Eretmochelys imbricata bissa*, *Eretmochelys imbricata squamata*, *Eretmochelys squamata*, *Eretmochelys squamosa*, *Onychochelys kraussi*, *Testudo imbricata*, *Testudo imbricata*, *Testudo nasicornis*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a hawksbill sea turtle?

An adult Hawksbill sea turtle has a body mass of 64.65 kg, with reported values from 62.3 to 67 kg.

### What does the hawksbill sea turtle eat?

Its main food is benthic animal.

### Is the hawksbill sea turtle endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Critically Endangered, a threatened category.

### How long does a hawksbill sea turtle live?

The hawksbill sea turtle has a lifespan of 20 years.

### What kind of animal is the hawksbill sea turtle?

It is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises subgroup, placed in the family Cheloniidae, superfamily Chelonioidea and order Testudines.

### Who named the hawksbill sea turtle?

Its scientific name, Eretmochelys imbricata, carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1766).

### How many eggs does a hawksbill sea turtle lay?

It lays 136 eggs per clutch and 3 clutches per year, and the eggs incubate for 60.6 days.

### When does a hawksbill sea turtle reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 20.7 years, with reported values from 17.2 to 33 years.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hawksbill-sea-turtle