The turtle with an "eagle beak" that was regarded as a work of art in ancient times actually cannot "shrink its shell"?

Among the many sea turtles, the Hawksbill is undoubtedly a special one. Their name comes from their hard and beautiful carapace, which was used as a precious material for ornaments and crafts in ancient times. The Hawksbill is a sea turtle with an eagle-like beak, and is also called the "Hawk-billed Turtle" because of its unique appearance. The Hawksbill is large in size, with a heart-shaped carapace and a smooth surface. The color ranges from brown to dark brown, and it is dotted with yellow spots or stripes. The limbs are paddle-shaped, which is very suitable for swimming.

In our impression, when turtles feel threatened, they will retract their heads and limbs to protect themselves. But in fact, hawksbill turtles, like other turtles, cannot retract their heads! Their carapace is actually connected to the spine and bone plates, and is a whole. The structure of the tortoise shell is actually very wide relative to the body. Generally, there is a slightly raised "brim" at the opening of their head, just like a helmet worn for work. Moreover, even their limbs and tails have this brim, and they also have the characteristic of being unconnected.

For land tortoises, they can hide their true "body" by retracting their heads into their shells. This will make many large carnivorous animals lose interest in tortoises with hard shells and seemingly little meat. However, this is different for sea turtles living in the sea. Sea turtles must try to keep swimming to avoid being targeted by natural enemies.

Hawksbill turtles are migratory animals that migrate along relatively fixed routes, with adult females returning to their birthplaces to lay eggs. They have a built-in "global positioning system" that allows them to find their location on Earth. The "global positioning system" of sea turtles can detect the Earth's magnetic field of varying strengths, accurately distinguish the angle of inclination of the magnetic field lines acting on the Earth's surface to identify the direction, and thus regularly sail back and forth in the vast ocean.

During the incubation process of the hawksbill turtles, if the temperature of the environment in which the eggs are located is high, the hatched ones are often females; on the contrary, if the temperature is low, they are more likely to be males. However, with the increasingly obvious trend of global warming, the sex ratio of hawksbill turtles is also facing severe challenges. If the temperature of the incubation environment continues to rise, the proportion of female hawksbill turtles will increase, while the proportion of male hawksbill turtles may decrease. This gender imbalance is not conducive to the long-term survival of hawksbill turtles.

Hawksbill turtles are omnivorous animals with a pointed and narrow head, which is suitable for obtaining food from the crevices of coral reefs, especially sponges in coral reefs. They unintentionally remove obstacles in space and competitors for bait for the growth of various corals, thus becoming the "protector" of corals. The sponge mentioned here is a porous animal, which is also the prototype of SpongeBob SquarePants, not for washing dishes.

Their eating habits make them an important part of the marine ecosystem, helping to control the number of mollusks and maintain ecological balance. However, with the intensification of marine pollution and overfishing, the coral reef ecosystem is facing great threats, and the living space of hawksbill turtles is also shrinking.

Hawksbill turtles crawl relatively slowly and are easily hunted by humans. The beaches that serve as hawksbill turtle nesting areas are often destroyed. It takes a long time for them to reach sexual maturity and their reproduction rate is low. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for the population to recover. Many adult turtles are killed intentionally or unintentionally by humans, and the turtles' nests are also occupied by humans and animals. Small mammals will attack their nests and dig out the eggs and eat them.

In order to protect this rare species, a series of measures need to be taken. First, we should reduce marine pollution and protect the coral reef ecosystem. Secondly, illegal fishing and trafficking of hawksbill turtles and their products should be prohibited. In addition, it is also very important to raise public awareness of hawksbill turtles and their protection through popular science education.

Hawksbill turtles are treasures in the ocean, and their presence adds more color and charm to our lives. However, in the face of increasingly severe environmental problems, we need to work together to protect these precious creatures. Let us work together to protect hawksbill turtles and their homes, and make the future world a better place.