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TURTLES

Underwater photography: images of frogfish taken while scuba diving
Green turtles | Hawksbill turtles | turtle sanctuaries

Turtles image gallery...


	Turtle conservation encounters...
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	Dive with turtles Gili Islands Maratua Atoll Sipadan Island


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Green turtle, Maratua	Green turtle, Maratua	Hawksbill turtle, West Papua	Green turtle, Maratua	Green turtle, Maratua

Green turtle, Egypt	Hawksbill turtle, Thailand	Hawksbill turtle, West Papua	Green turtle, Socorro	Hawksbill turtle, Philippines

Hawksbill turtle, Borneo	Green turtle, Egypt	Green turtle, Manado	Hawksbill turtle, Lombok	Green turtle, Egypt
Int = intermediate \| Juv = juvenile

All about turtles...

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Superfamily: Chelonioidea

All species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered with leatherback, Kemp's Ridley, and hawksbill turtles as critically endangered.; Olive Ridley and green turtles are endangered and the loggerhead is threatened.

The word turtle is a generic name for the group of reptiles that also includes tortoises and terrapins. There are about 300 species in all but just seven are marine turtles. Of these seven the ones that scuba divers encounter most are green and hawksbill turtles.

All turtles are fairly similar to look at, having a body that is shielded by a special bony shell and beak-like jaws instead of teeth. It's these two physical attributes that you need to study to tell which is which. When comparing green turtles to hawksbill, greens have an oval carapace that is black-brown or green-yellow with a feathered scale pattern while the hawksbill shell has a more mottled pattern in richer colours. The hawksbill also has– you guessed it – a bill that is shaped like the beak of a hawk while green turtles have a smaller, blunt shaped head.

All turtles are air-breathing. They surface regularly to refill their lungs so if you see one swim to the surface it's worth waiting for a while as it will descend again after taking a gulp. Turtles drink sea water and cry salty tears to get rid of excess salt.

Turtle encounters...

LOCATION:
Indonesia, Bali and Lombok
SPECIES: Chelonia mydas
COMMON NAME: Green Turtle

SPECIES: Eretmochelys imbricata
COMMON NAME: Hawksbill turtle

IMAGES
Newly hatched turtles in a seawater pen; an older juvenile awaiting release and the first swim into the ocean for a fledgling turtle.

DIVE LOG:
Both green and hawksbill turtles are seen by divers across wide swathes of Southeast Asian waters. Although these animals are critically endangered, many small conservation projects are working to guarantee the safety of turtle eggs, which has meant an improvement in turtle sightings in some places.

Female turtles lay in the same place every year and only on dry, sandy beaches. They do not care for or nuture their brood but simply lay and run. The hatchlings emerge at night after an incubation of around two months. Once in the sea hatchlings ‘disappear’ until they grow to dinner-plate sized juveniles.

This laying process makes it easy for turtle nests to be "raided," one of the reasons why they are so threatened. However, the conservation projects rescue and transfer eggs to protected areas. After watching over the hatchlings for the requisite time, ensuring they are kept safe from both animal and human predators, the youngsters can be released into the sea with an increased chance of reaching maturity.

SPECIES NAMES | Many fish can be hard to identify as they are so similar. Common names vary and even the scientists disagree on what is what. If you can help name anything we can't, please get in touch.

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