# Tortoise Longevity



## Tom (Jan 17, 2010)

A few years ago, I read a Readers Digest article suggesting that turtles and tortoises don't have a set lifespan. In essence, they just live until something kills them, be it disease, predation, poisoning, or nowadays, HBC(hit by car).

The article listed several verifiable examples, but two stick out in my mind.

One was a box turtle that was a wild caught adult when found and lived with one Louisiana family, generation after generation, for something like 170 years. It eventually escaped the yard and was HBC. They have pictures of it starting from the time after the camera was invented.

The other was a WC, adult Galapagos, collected by pirates for food, who somehow made his way to a Fort in the Caribbean. He lived there for around 180 years, perfectly healthy and active, until the day they removed one of the old rusty cannons from the cannon port for refurbishing. He fell out of the newly open hole and died upon impact with the rocks below. If he was an adult at capture, he had to be at least 40 or 50 years old already, right?

Now that we have captive hatch records, DNA sampling/testing and computers to store and manage data, we should have a firm answer to this question in about 500 years, give or take a few.


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## t_mclellan (Jan 17, 2010)

I have found that a tortoise lifespan is roughly.
A LONG TIME!
Some might even live "A long time cubed"! Basically a long time to the power of 3!


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## Yvonne G (Jan 17, 2010)

I'm pretty sure there was a documented Galapagos tortoise. Something like: the tortoise was brought back from the islands as an adult by Darwin and given as a gift to the reigning queen of England. It was kept there for many years, then placed someplace else in England. The tortoise just died either last year or the year before. So from the 1800's and Darwin, to the late 1900's or early 2000's. That's quite a life span.

I believe scientists are studying tortoises with human longevity in mind. Female tortoises can lay viable eggs right up until the day she dies.


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## NEtorts (Jan 17, 2010)

how old was that Harriet tort that lived at the australia zoo? it was said to be the oldest known tort and she just died a couple years ago... i'll google it and expand

here is the link 
she was collected in 1835
http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/harriet/[hr]
looks like Harriet died of natural causes. Heart failure, sad but imortal i think not. flesh will not live forever it will wear out evntually....


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## t_mclellan (Jan 17, 2010)

They live long eventful lives!
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-115062480.html


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## egyptiandan (Jan 17, 2010)

The oldest documented tortoise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu'i_Malila

Danny


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## GBtortoises (Jan 17, 2010)

Every living thing, flora or fauna probably has a lifespan. The problem with most of the stories of longevity is that very few have written prove and even fewer have written prove that can be authenticated. One of the few that seems to be true is the story of Tu'i Malila, listed above by Danny. I think many of the stories are usually stretched, as the more the story is told, the older the tortoise gets!

Even if the story of Tu'i Malila is true it's not really accurate. Once you've taken the animal out of it's natural habitat, in essence removed all of the hardships it's body was designed to encounter, you've altered it's lifespan. 

Take me out of my environment, put me in a tropical paradise and remove all the things that can kill me (especially cheeseburgers and beer) and I might live to be 120! Okay, I doubt it, but if anyone wants to try that experiment out, let me know, I'll be the guinea pig!


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## Shelly (Jan 17, 2010)

GBtortoises said:


> remove all the things that can kill me (especially cheeseburgers and beer) and I might live to be 120!



What's the point of living without beer?


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## dmmj (Jan 17, 2010)

Or cheeseburgers?


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## GBtortoises (Jan 17, 2010)

Shelly & dmmj--Thank you both for being my voice of reason!

I nearly went to far didn't I?


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## terryo (Jan 17, 2010)

Well over 60 years ago my Dad brought home an Eastern Box Turtle that he found on the road somewhere. He told us that when he found him, he was a full grown boxie who was "a good age". (whatever that meant) He lived in my yard for 66 years. I have no recollection of not having that boxie. I grew up with him, my children grew up with him, and my grandchildren grew up with him. Last summer was the first summer he didn't come up from hibernation, and this summer past, we didn't see him either. My whole family is of course devastated. My only regret is that I never took pictures of him. His shell was so smooth, and he had hardly any markings on him. He never left the yard for 66 years, as our fence went down 3 feet into the ground, so we are assuming that he died in hibernation. He had to be over 70 years old.


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## Tom (Jan 17, 2010)

terryo said:


> Well over 60 years ago my Dad brought home an Eastern Box Turtle that he found on the road somewhere. He told us that when he found him, he was a full grown boxie who was "a good age". (whatever that meant) He lived in my yard for 66 years. I have no recollection of not having that boxie. I grew up with him, my children grew up with him, and my grandchildren grew up with him. Last summer was the first summer he didn't come up from hibernation, and this summer past, we didn't see him either. My whole family is of course devastated. My only regret is that I never took pictures of him. His shell was so smooth, and he had hardly any markings on him. He never left the yard for 66 years, as our fence went down 3 feet into the ground, so we are assuming that he died in hibernation. He had to be over 70 years old.



That is a very cool story. Makes me wish I had kept mine. My mother allowed me to give him to another family when I was an impetuous teenager. Now, I want another one.


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## webskipper (Jan 17, 2010)

emysemys said:


> I'm pretty sure there was a documented Galapagos tortoise.



There's a Galapagos breeding group on King Snake for $220,000. 11 animals.

But wait that's not all, that includes free shipping. Don't wait act now.


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## dmmj (Jan 17, 2010)

The only animal I know of that as far as I know has not had a upper limit on age is believe it or not earthwoms and nightcrawlers, I looked into this awhile ago and no one could give a definitive answer, I read online of zoos with worms 30 years old, some other reports say that there is no upper age on them based on their biology. A boxie living 200 years or so seems a little farfetched to me I know of some that say they can live about 80 years or so. Since mine will outlive me most likely I will have to report on this from beyond the grave, stay tuned.


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## egyptiandan (Jan 18, 2010)

The oldest animal was a koi named Hanako that was 226 years old when she died.

Danny


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## GBtortoises (Jan 18, 2010)

I think this is a relevant question: Does anyone know why cold blooded animals live so much longer than mammals?

I'm curious.


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## Tom (Jan 18, 2010)

GBtortoises said:


> I think this is a relevant question: Does anyone know why cold blooded animals live so much longer than mammals?
> 
> I'm curious.



With the exception of Chelonians and Tuatara, they don't.


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## dmmj (Jan 18, 2010)

snakes, lizards and frogs are usually short lived when compared to tortoises and such. I am unsure why they are so long lived though.


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## Stephanie Logan (Jan 19, 2010)

This is a great thread! What a wonderful story about Harriet! How true that "we" probably won't live long enough to witness the documented record-setting age limit for tortoises or turtles! 

I guess it's time to put an official codicil in my will for Taco's care after I'm gone.


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## -ryan- (Jan 19, 2010)

Some snake species are long-lived, but I can't remember which ones specifically. I remember hearing an account recently about a snake in a collection that was somewhere north of 50 years old. Ball pythons have been known to live anywhere from 30-50 years. That's not 100 years, but still, it's a lot better than most lizards which seem to average somewhere between 6-20 years. I have an 8 year old bearded dragon, but he's getting pretty close to the end of the line (cancer), and I feel like I have had him forever.

One of the reasons I love tortoises is because they are a real long-term commitment.


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## micki (Jan 21, 2010)

i once read that no tortoise in captivity has died from old age.. most from mismanagement at some point in their lives.


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## Tom (Jan 21, 2010)

micki said:


> i once read that no tortoise in captivity has died from old age.. most from mismanagement at some point in their lives.



That was the gist of the Reader's Digest Article. Is that where you read it?

I have a iguana that was raised from a teeny tiny hatchling in 1993. She stopped eating 3 years ago so my wife syringe feeds her every day.


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## gummybearpoop (Jan 22, 2010)

I went to the Australian Zoo where Harriet was kept. I barely missed her by 3 months. There was a little memorial for her.


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