The flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) is a marine turtle found only on Australia's continental shelf and in neighboring waters of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, giving it the smallest range of any sea turtle species. Its shell is flatter and more domed than other sea turtles, with unusually thin, fragile scutes, and it lays comparatively few, larger eggs per clutch, around fifty per nesting. It is omnivorous but leans carnivorous, feeding on soft corals, sea cucumbers, shrimp, and jellyfish in shallow coastal waters. The IUCN lists it as Data Deficient for lack of population information, though Australia classifies it as Vulnerable.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Comparison
CITES Appendix CITES Appendix Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)
Source Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Flatback sea turtle
System/realm (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
The Australian flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) is a species of sea turtle in the family Cheloniidae.
Diet section
It feeds mostly on the prey found within the shallow waters where it swims. It has been found to feed on soft corals, sea cucumbers, shrimp, jellyfish, mollusks, and other invertebrates.
Infobox: status
DD
View the Source2. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Natator depressus (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITES
CITES No special status
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive (hunted-fished)
While at one time flatback eggs were harvested for food, today flatbacks are studied and well protected
View the Source 3. Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikidata)
WikidataInfobox: status2
CITES_A1
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
Wikidata Q372997: data deficient (P141).
- Child Taxon Of: Cheloniidae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source Wikidata: Natator
Wikidata Q372997, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIn Biome: Neritic Zone, Lead section
The species is endemic to the sandy beaches and shallow coastal waters of the Australian continental shelf.
In Ecosystem: Great Barrier Reef, Distribution and habitat
The main nesting sites in this range are the southern Great Barrier Reef, Wild Duck, and Curtis Island.
In Ecosystem: Kakadu, Conservation methods
In Kakadu National Park, a monitoring program has already been set up for this species.
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