"are taken by humans, though it is illegal to hunt them in many countries. In some parts of the world, hawksbill sea turtles are eaten as a delicacy. As far back as the fifth century BC, sea turtles, including the hawksbill, were eaten as delicacies in China. Many cultures also use turtles' shells for decoration. These turtles have been harvested for their beautiful shell since Egyptian times, and the material known as tortoiseshell is normally from the hawksbill. In China, where it was known as ""tai mei"", the hawksbill is called the ""tortoise-shell turtle"", named primarily for its shell, which"
"is an important study, not just because of the obvious protection it provides for the animal, but also as an identification tool, in particular with fossils as the shell is one of the likely parts of a turtle to survive fossilization. Hence understanding the structure of the shell in living species gives us comparable material with fossils. The shell of the hawksbill turtle, among other species, has been used as a material for a wide range of small decorative and practical items since antiquity, but is normally referred to as tortoiseshell. The turtle shell is made up of numerous bony"
"appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. The World Conservation Union, primarily as a result of Human fishing practices, classifies ""E. imbricata"" as critically endangered. Hawksbill shells were the primary source of tortoiseshell material used for decorative purposes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species outlaws the capture and trade of hawksbill sea turtles and products derived from them. Adult hawksbill sea turtles typically grow to in length, weighing around"
"their flesh, but for their shells. Tortoiseshell, a traditional decorative ornamental material used in Japan and China, comes from the carapace scutes of the hawksbill sea turtle. Ancient Greeks and ancient Romans processed sea turtle scutes (primarily from the hawksbill) for various articles and ornaments used by their elites, such as combs and brushes. The skin of the flippers is prized for use as shoes and assorted leather goods. The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and its animals. They often depicted sea turtles in their art. Leatherback sea turtles enjoy immunity from the sting of the deadly"
"until 1922, most picks were handmade from real tortoise shell - the carapace of the Atlantic Hawksbill turtle. It provided the finest tonal quality but it had some drawbacks. It was very expensive, had a tendency to break, and was scarce. People had tried other materials such as bone, stone, and ivory but none had been particularly successful. Luigi D'Andrea punched the little disks out of celluloid by hand, with a heavy mallet and a variety of knife edged dies which he designed. The cut edges were then finished by hand with sand paper. He also made the traditional tortoise"
"was used for making and decorating a variety of small items, as it was in the West. Along the south coast of Java, stuffed hawksbill turtles are sold in souvenir shops, though numbers have decreases in the last two decades. In Japan, the turtles are also harvested for their shell scutes, which are called ""bekko"" in Japanese. It is used in various personal implements, such as eyeglass frames and the ""shamisen"" (Japanese traditional three-stringed instrument) picks. In 1994, Japan stopped importing hawksbill shells from other nations. Prior to this, the Japanese hawksbill shell trade was around of raw shells per"
"sound and flexibility of a tortoise shell guitar pick. The practice of using Hawksbill turtles for their shells would become illegal in 1973 as a provision of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), forcing musicians to find something else to pick with. Musicians had been partial to shell picks, and when D'Andrea provided an alternative, D'Andrea Manufacturing became very successful and gained renown as the guitar pick of choice through the 1960s. Celluloid provided a good alternative in many ways. Tortoise shell was rare, expensive, and had a tendency to break. Celluloid"
"year. In the West, hawksbill sea turtle shells were harvested by the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans for jewellery, such as combs, brushes, and rings. The bulk of the world's hawksbill shell trade originates in the Caribbean. In 2006, processed shells were regularly available, often in large amounts, in countries including the Dominican Republic and Colombia. The hawksbill sea turtle appears on the reverse side of the Venezuelan 20-bolivar and the Brazilian 2-reais banknotes. A much-beloved fountain sculpture of a boy riding a hawksbill, affectionately known as ""Turtle Boy"", stands in Worcester, Massachusetts. Consensus has determined sea turtles, including ""E."
"and other materials, and this continues. The synthetic Delrin has been used especially for guitar picks. Brands of synthetic substitutes for tortoiseshell include Tortoloid and Tor-tis. Tortoiseshell has been used since ancient times, and the ancient Greek chelys or lyre often used a whole shell to form its body. Inlaid veneers of tortoiseshell were popular with wealthy ancient Romans for furniture, especially couches for dining, and for small items. The ""Periplus of the Erythraean Sea"", probably a work of the 1st century AD, distinguishes between shell from different species, with that regarded as the best probably the hawksbill. André Charles"
"on average. The heaviest hawksbill ever captured weighed . The turtle's shell, or carapace, has an amber background patterned with an irregular combination of light and dark streaks, with predominantly black and mottled-brown colors radiating to the sides. Several characteristics of the hawksbill sea turtle distinguish it from other sea turtle species. Its elongated, tapered head ends in a beak-like mouth (from which its common name is derived), and its beak is more sharply pronounced and hooked than others. The hawksbill's forelimbs have two visible claws on each flipper. One of the hawksbill's more easily distinguished characteristics is the pattern"
"it’s actually become more business-friendly and less effective at protecting wildlife. To name just a few species under the Endangered Species Act: Hawksbills are named for their narrow, pointed beak. They also have a distinctive pattern of overlapping scales on their shells that form a serrated-look on the edges. These colored and patterned shells make them highly-valuable and commonly sold as ""tortoiseshell"" in markets. The green turtle is one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among the different species. Green turtles are in fact named for the greenish color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells."
"or killed due to human impact. Another turtle species that can be hunted (not commercially) while considered as special concern at the Canadian and Ontarian level is the snapping turtle (""Chelydra serpentin""). Hawksbill sea turtles have been hunted for their shells primarily to make jewelry. Tourists will often buy items without being informed of the source of the material. Green sea turtles eggs are poached and eaten in many countries; this is also a tourist attraction and taking sea turtle shots, consuming raw turtle egg with whiskey or beer is popular in places like Costa Rica. Capturing turtles as a"
"Hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (""Eretmochelys imbricata"") is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subspecies—""E. i. imbricata"" and ""E. i. bissa"", respectively. The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. In general, it has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like limbs, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. ""E. imbricata"" is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like"
"Though today they are mainly plastic, variations do exist, such as bone, wood, steel or tortoise shell. Tortoise shell was the most commonly used material in the early days of pick-making, but as tortoises and turtles became endangered, the practice of using their shells for picks or anything else was banned. Tortoise-shell picks made before the ban are often coveted for a supposedly superior tone and ease of use, and their scarcity has made them valuable. Picks come in many shapes and sizes. Picks vary from the small jazz pick to the large bass pick. The thickness of the pick"
"years. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service have classified hawksbills as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. The US government established several recovery plans for protecting ""E. imbricata"". Hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (""Eretmochelys imbricata"") is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subspecies—""E. i. imbricata"" and ""E. i. bissa"", respectively. The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. In general, it has a"
"asymmetrical. In contrast, the green sea turtle and the leatherback turtle have a more symmetrical gait. Due to its consumption of venomous cnidarians, hawksbill sea turtle flesh can become toxic. The hawksbill sea turtle has been shown to be biofluorescent and is the first reptile recorded with this characteristic. It is unknown if this is derived from the turtle's diet, which includes biofluorescent organisms like the hard coral ""Physogyra lichtensteini"". Males have more intense pigmentation than females, and a behavioural role of these differences is speculated. Hawksbill sea turtles have a wide range, found predominantly in tropical reefs of the"
"brought together by screwing bolts into the shell then connecting the bolts with a wire; otherwise, a special device may be required. Turtle shell The turtle shell is a highly complicated shield for the ventral and dorsal parts of turtles, tortoises and terrapins (all classified as ""turtles"" by zoologists), completely enclosing all the vital organs of the turtle and in some cases even the head. It is constructed of modified bony elements such as the ribs, parts of the pelvis and other bones found in most reptiles. The bone of the shell consists of both skeletal and dermal bone, showing"
"Turtle shell The turtle shell is a highly complicated shield for the ventral and dorsal parts of turtles, tortoises and terrapins (all classified as ""turtles"" by zoologists), completely enclosing all the vital organs of the turtle and in some cases even the head. It is constructed of modified bony elements such as the ribs, parts of the pelvis and other bones found in most reptiles. The bone of the shell consists of both skeletal and dermal bone, showing that the complete enclosure of the shell probably evolved by including dermal armor into the rib cage. The shell of the turtle"
"well as other hard organic material such as tooth, bone, antler and mammoth ivory) which are thought to have been suspended and used as jewelry. The most commonly found species are ""Homalopoma sanguineum"", ""Littorina obtusata"", ""Cyclope"" species, ""Nassarius mutabilis"" and ""Nassarius gibbosulus"". Fossil shells were used alongside those of contemporary species. Some shells were stained with ochre. In Europe, the shells of both Atlantic and Mediterranean species were used, again circulating over distances of hundreds of kilometers. During the neolithic period shell necklaces were made with the shells of 3 genera Spondylus, Glycymeris and Charonia. Shell jewelry Shell jewelry is"
"to play stringed instruments for thousands of years. Feather quills were likely the first standardized plectra and became widely used until the late 19th century. At that point, the shift towards what became the superior plectrum material took place; the outer shell casing of an Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle, which would colloquially be referred to as tortoiseshell. Other alternatives had come and gone, but tortoiseshell provided the best combination of tonal sound and physical flexibility for plucking a taut string. Prior to the 1920s most guitar players used thumb and finger picks (used for the banjo or mandolin) when looking"
"especially of the Hawksbill variety which are desired for the striking details of the shell. Global warming is estimated to have serious effects on wildlife over the next few decades. There is evidence that sea turtles have already been affected. With the increase of temperature, polar ice has melted and has led to the rise of sea levels. This rise in sea levels has been a factor in the loss of beach, which for sea turtles means less nesting area. Global warming has been associated with severe weather, which could mean harsh and numerous storms that erode beaches and flood"
"of keratin that protect the shell from scrapes and bruises. A ""keel"", a ridge that runs from front to the back of the animal is present in some species, these may be single, paired or even three rows of them. In most turtles the shell is relatively uniform in structure, species variation in general shape and color being the main differences. However the soft shell turtles, pig-nose turtles and the leatherback sea turtle have lost the scutes and reduced the ossification of the shell. This leaves the shell covered only by skin. These are all highly aquatic forms. The evolution"
"Boulle (1642-1732), cabinetmaker to Louis XIV of France introduced or perfected marquetry combining thin inlays of tortoiseshell backed with metal, with woods and metal, a style still called after him. Small luxury objects such as snuff-boxes were decorated in piqué work, inlays of precious metals and jewels into tortoiseshell (or other materials). Hopes of capturing a large store of tortoiseshell led to the Ngatik massacre by Australian ""beachcombers"" of up to 50 men of Sapwuahfik in Micronesia in July 1837. Tortoiseshell Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced from the shells of the larger species of tortoise and turtle,"
"and in Asia, until the trade was banned in the 1970s. It was used, normally in thin slices or pieces, in the manufacture of a wide variety of items such as combs, small boxes and frames and inlays in furniture (known as Boulle Work carried out by André-Charles Boulle) and other items, frames for spectacles, guitar picks and knitting needles. Despite being expensive, tortoiseshell was attractive to manufacturers and consumers because of its beautiful mottled appearance, its durability, and its organic warmth against the skin. The initial processing involved separating the layers of the scutes from the animal's carapace by"
"such as the shells of land snails , or the shells of freshwater mollusks. Not all shell jewelry is made from whole shells; some kinds are made from parts of shells, including the shell layer known as mother of pearl or nacre, and the ""trapdoor"" or operculum which is part of some sea snails. In recent times, inexpensive shell jewelry is often found at tropical beach destinations, where it is offered to tourists as informal wear, or as a souvenir. However, shell jewelry has a very ancient past, and is of great importance in archeology and anthropology. In fact, shell"
"the Atlantic. Fitzinger derived the genus' name, ""Eretmochelys"", from the Greek roots ""eretmo"" and ""chelys"", corresponding to ""oar"" and ""turtle"", respectively. The name refers to the turtles' oar-like front flippers. The species' name ""imbricata"" is Latin, corresponding to the English term imbricate. This appropriately describes the turtles' overlapping posterior scutes. The Pacific hawksbill's subspecies name, ""bissa"", is Latin for ""double"". The subspecies was originally described as ""Caretta bissa""; the term referred to the then-species being the second species in the genus. ""Caretta"" is the genus of the hawksbill's much larger relative, the loggerhead turtle. Throughout the world, hawksbill sea turtles"
"made up of the fibrous protein keratin that also makes up the scales of other reptiles. These scutes overlap the seams between the shell bones and add strength to the shell. Some turtles do not have horny scutes; for example, the leatherback sea turtle and the soft-shelled turtles have shells covered with leathery skin instead. The shape of the shell gives helpful clues about how a turtle lives. Most tortoises have a large, dome-shaped shell that makes it difficult for predators to crush the shell between their jaws. One of the few exceptions is the African pancake tortoise, which has"
"to keep the water out. In order to make the sewer authentic, a tide-mark was given, and it was covered with brick, plaster and stucco paint to give the walls a realistic look. The turtles were created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop in London. Jim Henson said that the creatures were the most advanced that he had ever worked with. The creatures were first made out of fiberglass, and then remolded out of clay. They were produced as molds to cast the whole body in foam rubber latex. The work at the Shop was completed within 18 weeks. Many major"
"their elongate shells highly sculptured with spines or fronds. The inner surfaces of their ornate shells are often brightly colored. Costly and labor-intensive dyes Tyrian purple (or royal purple) and Tekhelet were historically made by the ancient Phoenicians using mucus from the hypobranchial gland of two species commonly referred to as ""murex"", ""Murex brandaris"" and ""Murex trunculus"", which are the older names for ""Haustellum brandaris"" (""Bolinus brandaris"") and ""Hexaplex trunculus"" (""Phyllonatus trunculus""). This dye is a rare animal-produced organobromine compound, which the snails make using a specific bromoperoxidase enzyme that operates on dissolved bromide in sea water. This dye was"
"When in danger, the turtle is able to close the plastron by pulling the hinged sections closely against the carapace, effectively sealing the soft body in bone, hence forming a ""box"". The shell is made of bone covered by living vascularized tissue and covered with a layer of keratin. This shell is connected to the body through its fused rib cage which makes the shell permanently attached and not removable. When injured or damaged, the shell has the capacity to regenerate and reform. Granular tissue slowly forms and keratin slowly grows underneath the damaged area to replace damaged and missing"
"Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Of all the sea turtle species, ""E. imbricata"" is the one most associated with warm tropical waters. Two major subpopulations are known, in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. In the Atlantic, hawksbill populations range as far west as the Gulf of Mexico and as far southeast as the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. They live off the Brazilian coast (specifically Bahia, Fernando de Noronha) through southern Florida and the waters off Virginia. In the Caribbean, the main nesting beaches are in the Lesser Antilles, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Tortuguero in Costa Rica, and in the Yucatan."
"ship were found black and red ware pottery - dating from the 1st century to the 4th Century - together with a stone throne and coloured ball clay for making painted roofing tiles. Godavaya is home to five of the seven global marine turtle species: Hawksbill, Leatherback, Green turtle, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley turtle, which are all threatened. It has been proposed that the Leatherback turtles of Sri Lanka and the Nicobar Islands form a separate, genetically distinct Indian Ocean subpopulation. Godavaya beach is possibly the best Leatherback turtle nesting beach in the island, with the largest nesting population. A"
"region. The critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle are often seen on the island and is part of a conservation effort to increase the numbers. Calala Island's owners and the Wildlife Conservation Society have increased nesting numbers considerably since the partnership began. It is estimated that nests on the island have increased significantly, with around 6000 eggs laid on the island by the Hawksbills each year. Laying season for the turtles is from May through to November, with hatchings taking place September through to February. Other islands species include the American yellow warbler, the White-necked Puffbird, Hummingbird and the Magnificent frigatebird."