Western Hawk Turtle

The Western Hawk Turtle, Buteochelys occidens, is a species of marine turtle native to the marine waters of Syltor and Ummarnu. It approaches lengths up to 2 meters and can weigh nearly 300 kilograms. It feeds mostly upon seagrasses and kelp, though they are known to occasionally eat invertebrate prey as well.

The Western Hawk Turtle's closest relative is the Najer Giant Hawk Turtle, Parabuteochelys najeri. The two are similar, though the Western turtle is slightly smaller and as its name suggests it has a different distribution. The most recent common ancestor of the two species is suspected to have lived about 4 million years ago, just before the turn of the Regolithic period.

The turtle lives mostly in warm-water bays and inlets, preferring shallow waters with abundant flora over the open ocean. This is primarily because their herbivorous diet restricts them to the coasts. However, they can occasionally be seen in open waters traveling from one seagrass patch to the next.

The turtles nest in particular locations, returning to the same beach on which they were born to lay their own eggs. The coast of the southern Lothranis Sea (specifically around Tinwirëfal) boasts the largest Western Hawk Turtle nesting colony in Rathnir. However, economic demand for turtle eggs and other turtle products, as well as land development in the area have rendered former turtle nesting beaches unsuitable for nesting.

Habitat loss and overhunting have contributed to the decline of the turtle's population in recent times. Not only are their nesting beaches lost, but in many local cuisines turtle eggs are seen as a delicacy, and poorer people in Huitca, the Aurlunor Velande, Agnarian, Uldarash, and other countries in the region often harvest the eggs for sale. Furthermore, the turtles are also eaten as food, and their shells are used to make decorations and trinkets. As such, the turtle is now an endangered species.