# Flatback sea turtle (*Natator depressus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/flatback-sea-turtle  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises group, belonging to the family Cheloniidae in the order Testudines. It falls in the large size class, with a representative adult body mass of 74.4 kg. Clutches hold 52.8 eggs as a representative value, with 2.42 clutches per year and an egg incubation period of 50.1 days. On the IUCN Red List, the global assessment places the flatback sea turtle in the Data Deficient (DD) category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 74.4 kg |
| Length | up to 96 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 100 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal |
| Egg incubation | 50.1 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 52.8 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.42 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Conservation status | Data Deficient (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Testudines
- family: Cheloniidae
- genus: Natator
- species: *Natator depressus* (Garman, 1880)

Synonyms: *Chelonia depressa*, *Chelonia mydas*, *Natator tessellatus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the flatback sea turtle?

The flatback sea turtle is a reptile in the turtles and tortoises group. It belongs to the family Cheloniidae and the superfamily Chelonioidea.

### How heavy is a flatback sea turtle?

Adults have a representative body mass of 74.4 kg, which places the species in the large size class.

### Is the flatback sea turtle endangered?

The IUCN Red List global assessment lists the flatback sea turtle as Data Deficient (DD).

### How many eggs does a flatback sea turtle lay?

A clutch holds 52.8 eggs as a representative value, and females lay 2.42 clutches per year.

### How long do Flatback sea turtle eggs take to hatch?

The egg incubation period is 50.1 days.

### What is the scientific name of the flatback sea turtle and who named it?

Its scientific name is Natator depressus, with the authority written as (Garman, 1880).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/flatback-sea-turtle