Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium has succeeded in being the world’s first aquarium to breed a third generation of hawksbill sea turtle.

The female hawksbill sea turtle that laid its eggs on this occasion was born at the aquarium in 1994. She reached sexual maturity, confirmed by the condition of her ovaries, 18 years later in 2012 (length of carapace: 78 cm, weight: 55.5 kg).
Mating was confirmed at the beginning of May 2018. She laid eggs 5 times throughout June to August. 58 baby turtles have hatched since August 2018.
There are not many cases of hawksbill sea turtles breeding in captivity. The birth of this third generation of hawksbill turtles provides a valuable opportunity to understand the reproductive ecology of sea turtles. It was estimated that hawksbill sea turtles start laying eggs from between 15 to 22 years. Acquiring data was possible only through captive breeding and our research confirmed successful reproduction at 24 years old. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium hopes to continue the rearing and breeding of these rare sea turtles to help understand their ecology and conserve the species.

About the hawksbill sea turtle

Scientific name：Eretmochelys imbricata
Distributed in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.
Hawksbill turtles live on coral reefs in tropical and subtropical regions. They are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and by the Ministry of Environment, they are also on the red-list of endangered species. The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) and received the award for the first successful breeding of the hawksbill sea turtle in Japan.