Class Reptillia (Reptiles)
Family Cheloniidaie
Order Testudinata (Turtles) (Philippine Translation: Pawikan) Now rarely seen, turtles were once important commercially as a source of food and oil. Although protected by law, heavy predation of sea turtle eggs and the adult animals by coastal people throughout the Philippines has drastically reduced their numbers. Sizable populations do remain in some parts of Southeast Asia, but in the Philippines the only healthy population nests in the Turtle Islands in the Sulu Sean and on remote beaches north and east of Palawan Island. Other species known to frequent Philippine waters but rarely seen include the Loggerhead turtle, Olive Ridley turtle and the Leatherback turtle.
Eretmochelys Imbricata Sp. (Hawksbill Sea Turtle) (Philippine Translation: Pawikan) Carnivorous sea turtle has a heart shaped shell and a protruding bill shaped jaw. It is smaller than the Green Sea Turtle and displays strongly overlapping scales on the carapace. The strong jaws of the Hawksbill can break the shells of crabs and tear sponges for food. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
*Reference: Philippine Coral Reefs A Natural History Guide By Alan T. White & Coral Reef Animals Of The Indo-Pacific By Terrence M. Gosliner, David W. Beherens, Garry C. Williams
*Photos: Are Full Moon Divers. All Rights Reserved.