Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Photo: Jane Kempler & Andrew Goldby Freelance · CC BY-NC-ND

A resident population of at least 6 individually recognisable hawksbills feeds on the sponge-rich reef terrace throughout the year, with individuals returning to the same coral heads on regular schedules that researchers have begun to document. Their sponge-dominated diet controls growth of encrusting species that would otherwise outcompete coral for space. Caleta Buena is one of a shrinking number of Caribbean sites where hawksbills still feed in ecologically meaningful densities.