Lifespan?

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Nofx

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I am curious, how long do Leopard Torts live?
I was searching over the net and found, answers like: Up to 50, 50+, 100, and I wish it would be true 100+

I know its hard to tell, because every tortoise is different and every owner's got his own way, by giving them food and everything else. But still, there's got to be some documented study of them in the wild?

Tnx, Niko
 

PeanutbuttER

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Part of the difficulty in setting an age limit on torts is that it would take a lifetime of work for several successive researchers to be able to get a semi-accurate data set. I'm not aware of any research group that's done this.
 

Tom

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I love this question! I read a "Reader's Digest" article several years ago that suggested that they live "until something kills them." They don't seem to have a normal "lifespan" like other animals. The article gave a dozen or so authenticated reports of torts living over 100 years. One was a box turtle that lived for 172 years in Louisiana with generation after generation of one family and finally died when it escaped and was hit by a car. They had pics of it with the family after the camera was invented. Another one was an adult wild collected galapagos tortoise that lived in a Caribbean Fort for 182 years before it took a tumble out of an empty cannon port and died on the rocks below. Who knows how old it was before it even went to this fort.

Every year at tax time, I have trouble locating and organizing all my documents. Can you imagine trying to keep track of documents for decades or hundreds of years? This was all before computers. We now have hatch dates digitally recorded and we are finally working out the fine points of proper husbandry, so when the babies hatched today start dying of old age we might start to have some idea. I don't think our children's children's children will see this day. Further what kind of "computers" will be in use 100 years or more from now. Will the old tortoise birthdate data even be transferrable in 100 years? Will it be in 10 or 20 years even?

Great topic.
 

John

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before the pet trade took off and reptileshows got huge,i wonder what the leading cause of death was for torts
 

Yvonne G

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I'm pretty sure they don't die of old age. Females can lay viable eggs clear up to the end of her life.
 

Kristina

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Tom said:
they live "until something kills them." They don't seem to have a normal "lifespan" like other animals.

This has always been my belief. Unless something shortens their life span, i.e. illness, parasites, predation, poor care, etc., I personally believe that they can live indefinitely.

Females do lay eggs up until they pass away, and in fact become more fecund with age. That is why I didn't mind adding two ancient females to my Hingeback group :p
 

Nofx

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Aaaaaa! I had no idea, this is great.
This were the answers i was hoping for :D

Tnx guys!
 

Badgemash

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I imagine that eventually enough genetic mutations would appear (through age, environmental radiation etc.) that the cells wouldn't replicate as well anymore and they might die. But their metabolism seems so slow compared to mammals that their natural lifespan might be in the hundreds of years. One of the Phoenix zookeepers told me they were doing a project on it with their Aldabs, but of course none of us will be around long enough to hear the results.
 
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