Now, you may probably have already guessed where this turtle got its name from. Well, it refers to the flatness of the turtle’s upper shell (carapace). The locals do not call it the flatback turtle, but instead Kikila. Flatback sea turtles are larger than the two Ridley turtles, although they are still small.
The flatback turtle has a yellow-gray or a green-gray colored oval shaped upper shell. The lower shell (plastron) is usually a pale yellow. The adults of this species typically weigh about 160 to 200 pounds. They usually measure 39 inches long. The flippers of the Flatback turtle have one obvious claw.

The flatback turtle only nests on beaches in Australia and is considered to be the most mysterious of all sea turtles. Little is known about what this species eats or the path of its migration from nesting to foraging grounds. There are about thirty thousand mature females alive today, and the Australian government is doing a good job of protecting its nesting beaches. However, the fact that this turtle lives in only one part of the ocean, rather than being spread around the globe, could make it more vulnerable to extinction.

The Flatback turtle fees mostly on sea cucumbers and crustaceans. It is also typically found in grassy shallow areas and coral reefs. Another amazing fact about this turtle is that the females will lay about 50 eggs at a time, and each egg is about the same size as that of the Leatherback! This means that the hatchlings are large, which is great because it means that they can avoid predators easier.