Flatback Turtle

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Flatback Turtle

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Cheloniidae
Genus:	Natator McCulloch, 1908
Species:	N. depressus

Binomial name

Natator depressus
(Garman, 1880)

The Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus) is a sea turtle endemic to the continental shelf of Australia. It is the only member of the genus Natator. The species may feed in the waters off Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, but it nests only in Australia. Nesting occurs across the top half of Australia, from Exmouth in Western Australia to Mon Repos in Queensland. The most significant breeding site is Crab Island in the western Torres Strait. Breeding may also occur on the islands of the southern Great Barrier Reef, and on mainland beaches and offshore islands north of Gladstone.

The Flatback turtle is unusual because it lays fewer, but larger eggs than the other sea turtle species. Females emerge onto the beach on which they hatched more than 30 years ago and make their way up the beach to lay their eggs. This takes around an hour and a half. The female digs a pit, first using her front flippers, and then her rear flippers to dig a small egg chamber. After laying the eggs she covers them first with her hind flippers, and then flings sand back with her front flippers. Females will lay a clutch of eggs around every 16-17 days during the nesting season, but will only nest every 2-3 years.

Male turtles never return to the shore, as mating occurs at sea.

The Flatback Turtle eats algae, marine invertebrates and fish. The carpace of the adult is on average 90 cm long.

[edit] References

Red List Standards & Petitions Subcommittee (1996). Natator depressus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is listed as data deficient