Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Photo: Liah Continentino · CC BY-ND

Critically endangered globally, hawksbill turtles are a conservation success story at Nosy Tanikely where protection has allowed a stable resident population to persist. Their narrow pointed beaks are precisely adapted for extracting sponges from reef crevices — a dietary specialism that controls sponge growth and prevents it from overgrowing coral. The striking amber-and-black carapace pattern that made them targets for the historical tortoiseshell trade is now better admired in the water.