The average female hawksbill turtle lays 3-5 egg clutches of 100-140 eggs during a single nesting season, but newly recruited females lay fewer clutches.
Upon reaching sexual maturity, a female hawksbill turtle will typically lay up to five clutches of around 100 to 140 eggs in a single breeding season and then wait a few years before nesting again.
Saturation tagging of nesting females indicates that at most sites the average female hawksbill lays between three and five egg clutches during a single nesting season, with indications that newly recruited females lay fewer egg clutches, and possibly fewer clutches in the Arabian/Persian Gulf.
Sources: (Richardson, Bell, & Richardson, 1999; Mortimer & Bresson, 1999; Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008; Pilcher; Ripple, 1996)
Image: Gerwin Sturm
