Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Sighting evidence at Prony, Mayotte
Photo: Kevin Bryant · CC BY-NC-SA
Hawksbills shelter in the overhangs and chimneys of Prony's deeper flanks, emerging to feed on the sponges and tunicates growing on the wall faces between 20 and 35 metres. Several individuals are known to specific overhangs and encountered reliably on every visit, their tortoiseshell-patterned carapaces and narrow pointed beaks making them easy to distinguish from the green turtles seen in shallower water. The cave and chimney microhabitats at Prony provide refugia that may partly explain why this otherwise-endangered species is so visible here.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Hawksbill Sea Turtle is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.