Hawksbill turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

Turtles
IUCN: Critically endangered

Usual depth0 m
Water temperature14–29 °C
How commonCommon

All species

Photo credit: (c) B.navez, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0 m · Deepest record: 270 m

0–10 m: 6,152 records
10–20 m: 49 records
20–30 m: 15 records
30–40 m: 11 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 10 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 13 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 14–29 °C

12–14 °C: 1 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 8 records
24–26 °C: 17 records
26–28 °C: 307 records
28–30 °C: 13 records

Photos

(c) Kyle Van Houtan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Iván Cumpián, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Daniel Benák, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) ajott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Hawksbill turtle, Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle, carey, Hawksbill, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, hawksbill turtle, Hawk's-Bill Turtle, Pacific Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Names in 9 more languages

German: echte Karettschildkröte, Echte Karettschildkröte
Spanish: Carey, tortuga carey, Tortuga Carey, tortuga carey del pacifico, tortuga de carey, Tortuga de carey, Tortuga-marina de carey
Filipino: Pawikan
French: caret, Tortue à bec de faucon, Tortue à bec faucon, Tortue à écailles, Tortue bonne écaille, tortue caret, Tortue caret, Tortue caret (La), Tortue imbriquée, Tortue à écailles, tortue imbriquée, Tortue Imbriquée
Indonesian: Penyu Sisik
Japanese: タイマイ
Korean: 대모, 매부리바다거북
Thai: เต่ากระ
Simplified Chinese: 太平洋玳瑁, 毒瑁, 玳瑁, 鷹嘴海龜

Other scientific names: Eretmochelys squamosa, Testudo imbricata

Similar species

Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
15,084 open-data records from 1757 to 2025.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist