The flatback turtle is a sea turtle that can be recognized by its smooth flat-domed shell, or carapace, which has upturned edges along the sides.
 It has the coloration of olive green or a mixture of grey and green.
 This matches the coloration of its head.
 The underside, also called the plastron, has a much lighter coloration of a pale yellow.
  The flatback sea turtle has an average carapace length ranging from 76 to 96 cm (30 to 38 in), and weighs from 70 to 90 kg (about 155 to 200 lb).
The females of this species are larger than the males in adulthood and also have been found to have longer tails than their male counterparts.

Features of this sea turtle which help contribute to its recognition are the single pair of prefrontal scales on the head, and the four pairs of coastal scutes on the carapace.
Another unique feature of this species of sea turtle is the fact that its carapace is found to be much thinner than other sea turtle carapaces.
This feature causes the shell to crack under the smallest pressures.


The skull superficially resembles that of the olive ridley but details of the braincase most closely resemble those found in the green sea turtle
The flatback turtle is a sea turtle that can be recognized by its smooth flat-domed shell, or carapace, which has upturned edges along the sides.  It has the coloration of olive green or a mixture of grey and green.  This matches the coloration of its head.  The underside, also called the plastron, has a much lighter coloration of a pale yellow.   The flatback sea turtle has an average carapace length ranging from 76 to 96 cm (30 to 38 in), and weighs from 70 to 90 kg (about 155 to 200 lb). The females of this species are larger than the males in adulthood and also have been found to have longer tails than their male counterparts.
Features of this sea turtle which help contribute to its recognition are the single pair of prefrontal scales on the head, and the four pairs of coastal scutes on the carapace. Another unique feature of this species of sea turtle is the fact that its carapace is found to be much thinner than other sea turtle carapaces. This feature causes the shell to crack under the smallest pressures.

The skull superficially resembles that of the olive ridley but details of the braincase most closely resemble those found in the green sea turtle
Flatback sea turtle