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Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Bronze, 2001

Dimensions: 13" H x 18" W x 9" D
Limited Edition of 47

Hawksbill Sea Turtle depicts an immature turtle named Half Pint with the tube sponge on which it feeds. A difficult food product to digest, sponges contain glass spicules and, oddly, no particular adaptations can be found that explain why this species is able to digest the food. In fact, the Hawksbill is the sea turtle species we know least about. The turtle has been hunted for it’s tortoiseshell used to make knife handles, jewelry combs and eyeglass frames. The Hawksbill’s most notable feature is it’s hawk-like bill. Other distinctions include an overlapping scute (shell) pattern. These agile turtles have no problem climbing over rocks, reefs and through vegetation to reach their beach nesting sites.