The Use of Measured Scutes of Hawksbill Turtles, Eretmochelys-Imbricata, in the Management of the Tortoiseshell (Bekko) Trade

Abstract

A strong positive correlation is demonstrated between the size of selected carapacial scutes (costal 1, vertebral 1 and vertebral 5) and the curved carapace length of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). A count of any one of these distinctive scute types, and the measurement of these scutes, can be used to determine the number and size class distribution of E. imbricata represented in consignments of raw tortoiseshell.