The first turtle we will highlight for the 2023 Sea Turtle Week is the Flatback. It is the least studied sea turtle, as it is only located in coastal waters off Northern Australia, the Indonesian archipelago, and the Papua New Guinea coast. Breeding and nesting occur in Australia only, with the largest concentration of females nesting on Crab Island in the NE Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. They’ll nest four times per season and lay about 50 eggs per nest. Eggs incubate for roughly two months before hatching.
The flatback does not have a long, open ocean migration like other sea turtles and is usually found in waters less than 200 feet in depth in soft-bottomed habitats. Their diet consists of jellyfish, sea cucumbers and soft corals.
An interesting fact is that the Flatbacks are preyed upon by Saltwater crocodiles, the largest reptile on earth.