The Flatback Sea Turtle | Breeding and Nesting

Normally the females go to shore at night, but it’s seen that females of the Flatback turtle nests at daytime. She hauls herself out of the ocean and finds a suitable spot on the beach. she uses her back flippers to dig the nest. It’s usually around 30 cm deep and 22 cm in diameter.

On average a Flatback female lays 50 eggs. She then uses her flippers to fill the nest with sand and then she will return to the ocean. During a nesting season she will return to the beach up to 4 times to lay more eggs. From the day the eggs had been laid it takes 50 to 55 days for hatchlings to emerge.

The sex of the hatchlings depends on the temperature. Below 29°Celsius and the clutch will be male, above 29°Celsius and females are produced. The number of eggs laid are only half of what the other species of sea turtles does. The eggs, however, are larger than those of other species, and the hatchlings emerge larger than any sea turtle species except the leatherback.

The hatchlings measuring approx. 6cm in carapace length and weighing 43g. The hatchlings look for the brightest spot on the horizon when they emerge from the nest. This s normally the sea reflecting whatever light there is in the sky. Now a dangerous trip starts as they head for the sea. As long as they stay on the beach they’re prey for gulls, hawks, ghost crabs, vultures etc. Once they are in the ocean, the turtles become potential prey for octopi, sharks, and other large fish.

Because flatback hatchlings are larger than other sea turtle hatchlings, they have a better chance of surviving attacks by crabs, gulls and fish when they leave the nest.