Common name: Hawksbill Turtle

Scientific name: Eretmochelys imbricata

Local name: Penyu Karah, Penyu Sisik

The adult hawksbill turtle, locally known as penyu karah or penyu sisik, may measure up to 70-90cm in carapace length and feeds off coral reefs and sponges. Small numbers of hawksbills are found nesting along both coasts of Peninsular Malaysia (especially in Melaka) and in Sabah Turtle Islands (mainly Gulisaan Island) and Sarawak. In Melaka, the major rookeries are at Pulau Upeh, Kuala Linggi and Kem Terendak. There are also isolated locations in Terengganu and Johor.

Widely distributed in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean, the hawksbill is also found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. The hawksbill sea turtle has experienced a global population decline of 80 percent or more during the past century. Hawksbill turtles are particularly noteworthy because their highly prized shells were once commercially harvested for ornaments and souvenirs.

Hawksbill turtle numbers are mainly threatened by accidental capture by fishing industries, illegal egg collection, loss of nesting habitats due to beach erosion, coastal development and marine pollution.