Flatback Turtle
| Flatback Sea Turtle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Natator depressus | |
| 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 sea turtle (Natator depressus) is a sea turtle located along the sandy beaches and shallow coastal waters of Australia. They can only be found in the waters around the Australian continental shelf. It belongs to the family Cheloniidae, along with other sea turtles. This turtle gets its name from the fact that their shell has a flattened or lower dome than the other sea turtles. They can be olive green to grey with a cream underside. These turtles average from 76 cm to 96 cm in length and can weigh between 70 kg to 90 kg. The hatchlings, when emerging from nests, are larger than other sea turtle hatchlings when they hatch. The flatback turtle is listed as Vulnerable. They are not Threatened like other sea turtles due to their small dispersal range.
The flatback turtle is a sea turtle that can be recognized by its smooth flat-domed shell, or carapace, which has upturned edges along the sides. It has the coloration of olive green or a mixture of grey and green. This matches the coloration of their heads. The underside, also called the plastron, has a much lighter coloration of a pale yellow. The flatback sea turtle is of an average length, ranging from 76 cm to 96 cm, and weighs from 70 kg to 90 kg. The females of this species are larger than the males in adulthood and also have been found to have longer tails than their male counterparts.
A feature of the carapace of this sea turtle that helps contribute to its recognition are the single pair of prefrontal scales that are up by the head and the four pairs of coastal scutes. Another unique feature of this species of sea turtle is the fact that their carapaces are found to be much thinner than other sea turtle carapaces. This feature causes the shell to crack under the smallest pressures.
The flatback sea turtle has the smallest range of the seven sea turtles. They are found in the continental shelf and coastal waters of tropic regions. These turtles do not travel long distances in the open ocean for migrations like other sea turtles. They can be typically be found in waters of 60 m or less in depth. They do not have a global distribution like the other sea turtles. Flatback sea turtles can be found along the coastal waters of Northern Australia, the Tropic of Capricorn, and the coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. Their distribution within Australia is in the areas of Eastern Queensland, Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, and Western Australia. Each of these areas are where nesting sites can be found.
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Wikipedia