What Is The Scientific Name Of Hawksbill Sea Turtle? (ANSWER)

What Is The Scientific Name Of Hawksbill Sea Turtle? (ANSWER)

SCIENTIFIC NAME OF HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE– In this topic, we are going to know and identify the scientific name of hawksbill sea turtle.

SCIENTIFIC NAME OF HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE
Image from: NOAA Fisheries

It is a critically endangered sea turtle under the large marine turtle family Cheloniidae. Its appearance is similar to other marine turtles.

It has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace (dorsal section), and flipper-like limbs which is adapted for swimming in the open ocean.

The turtle can be distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Its forelimbs have two visible claws on each flipper.

As mentioned above, the turtle falls under the critically endangered category in the IUCN Red List.

It can be found predominantly in tropical reefs of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans and is the one most associated with warm tropical waters.

Answer

The binomial name of hawksbill sea turtle is Eretmochelys imbricata.

Eretmochelys is a genus of the large marine turtle family Cheloniidae. It is Greek for ‘oar turtle’ and is derived from the Greek roots eretmo, which means ‘oar’ and chelys which means ‘turtle’.

The species name imbricata, on the other hand, is the Latin term for imbricate, referring to the turtles’ overlapping posterior scutes. Imbricate means ‘Having regular overlapping edges; intertwined.’.

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