Christmas Island Turtles

This stamp design shows a close-up photograph by Karen Willshaw of the Hawksbill Turtle. This turtle uses its distinctive curved beak to probe coral reefs for sponges and other soft-bodied animals such as sea anemones and jellyfish.

Found throughout the world’s tropical oceans, this critically endangered turtle’s shell was once exploited as the main global supply of decorative tortoiseshell. The photograph in this design is by Karen Willshaw.

The Green Turtle is found in seaweed-rich coral reefs and inshore seagrass pastures in tropical and subtropical areas of the Indo-Pacific region. Like all sea turtles, it is migratory, often travelling thousands of kilometres between feeding and nesting grounds, which include Christmas Island. The stamp photograph is by Yvonne McKenzie, Wondrous World Images.

Green Turtles nest on Christmas Island throughout the year on Dolly and Greta beaches, laying clutches of 85 to 200 round white eggs, before covering them with sand and returning to the ocean. After 50 to 70 days, the young hatch during the night and instinctively clamber down to the sea; however, many do not survive. The stamp photograph in this design is by Yvonne McKenzie, Wondrous World Images.