Nest site fidelity of Flatback Turtles ('Natator depressus') on Bare Sand Island, Northern Territory, Australia

The endangered Flatback Turtle ( Natator depressus) is endemic to the continental shelf of northern Australia and is the only species of marine turtle with such a restricted geographical distribution.Most mature female Flatback Tunics show a high degree of fidelity to their chosen nesting beach, returning to the same beach within the same and successive nesting seasons.Natal homing has been well studied in other species of marine turtles and our findings support the supposition that all marine turdes display a similar degree of natal homing.Our study area is Bare Sand Island, Northern Territory, where we investigated nest site fidelity of female Flatback Turtles and the influence of wind speed, air and sand temperature, and relative humidity on nest site selection.The data were collected during a 46-day period from 12 June 2012.On Bare Sand Island, female Flatback Turdes demonstrate very strong nest site fidelity, with consecutive nests being located 247 m ± 198 s.d.apart.During the peak 2012 breeding season, sand temperatures, wind speed and relative humidity remained constant, however there was a significant difference in the air temperature between nesting days.Our study of the effects of environmental factors on the nesting environment of Flatback Turtles will contribute towards management practices to protect this endangered species.