Most sea turtles have a phase biologists once called the lost years: hatchlings swim offshore, join current systems and disappear from view until they return as dinner-plate-sized juveniles. Flatbacks are the exception. Tracking and sightings place young flatbacks in shallow shelf waters near their natal coasts rather than in oceanic gyres.
The eggs match the strategy. A flatback clutch is small by sea turtle standards, often around fifty eggs, but each egg and hatchling is unusually large. A bigger hatchling swims better and is harder to swallow, which suits a nursery close to predator-rich coastal water.
The species is also the only sea turtle nesting confined to a single country. That restricted range, combined with sparse survey coverage of remote northern beaches, is why the IUCN still lists it as Data Deficient rather than assigning a threat category.