HAWKSBILL TURTLE

The Hawksbill Turtle

In the crystal-clear waters of tropical oceans, one of the ocean's most elegant creatures is disappearing. Hawksbill turtles — named for their narrow, hawk-like beaks — have cruised these reefs for 100 million years. Now, after surviving asteroid impacts and ice ages, they face their greatest threat: us.

Hawksbills are the reef's secret guardians. By feasting on sponges that would otherwise outcompete coral, they keep coral reefs diverse and healthy — reefs that a quarter of all marine species depend on. Without hawksbills, these underwater cities of life would slowly suffocate under sponge.

But hawksbill populations have crashed by more than 80% in three generations. Their eggs are dug up from beaches by the millions. They're drowned in fishing nets. Their shells are turned into 'tortoiseshell' jewelry. And rising seas are swallowing the beaches where they lay their eggs.