Everything about The Flatback Turtle totally explained
The
Flatback Turtle,
Natator depressus, is a
sea turtle that's
endemic to the
continental shelf of
Australia.
Anatomy
The carapace of the adult is on average 90 cm long. This is low domed, the edge is upturned and has four pairs of
costal scales - fewer than other
marine turtles of the region. An olive-grey colour is found on the upper parts, and it's paler underneath. A single pair of scales are located at the front of the head, which also distinguish this species.
They can grow up to one
meter in length.
Distribution
Flatback turtles are found in coastal waters.
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.
Ecology and life history
Habitat
Flatback turtles are usually found in bays, shallow, grassy waters, coral reefs, estuaries and lagoons on the northern coast of Australia and off of the coast of Papua New Guinea.
Trophic ecology
The Flatback Turtle is known to be rather broad in its eating habits and can eat a variety such as seagrass, marine invertebrates (such as mollusks, jellyfish and shrimp) and fish. It also is known to be a consumer of soft coral, sea cucumbers and other soft-bodied creatures.
If this species isn't protected, it's likely that these turtles will become extinct in the foreseeable future. If this species disappears, the ecosystems it's a part of will surely crumble. The seagrasses these turtles feed on are breeding grounds for certain organisms that can only survive if the grass is kept short, much like the grass in our front yard. The organisms that thrive in the seagrass would die out, causing a chain reaction of the organisms that feed off of them to die out and so on.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Flatback Turtle'.
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