Koya the found red-footed
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I would like to know which species of tortoises have a relatively shorter lifespan?
Species of tortoise with a relatively short lifespan?
- Thread starter Koya the found red-footed
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The shortest life span I know of is 50-80 years, closer to 80 if raised correctly and that would be a Russian.
@Tom
@Tom
No one knows the life spans of tortoises. Anyone that gives you a number either made that number up, or they are repeating someone else's made up number. There have been several on record over 180 years old, and at least one that was 280.
Humans and animals age because the telomeres that bind the DNA strands together begin to unravel over time. Tortoise telomeres don't unravel. One article speculated that they live until something kills them.
No, I didn't make the numbers up. They are the numbers that most Google searches will give you. I have no idea if they are true or not. I don't know anyone that has had a Russian from hatchling to death. I'm sure if any research has ever been done, it's likely around those numbers.
Right. You repeated numbers somebody else made up.
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It's been reported that Redfoot have a lifespan similar to the range of a modern humans.
Which I believe is short in terms of most tortoises.
65-75 years.
(No offense to anyone over 75 years old)
Which I believe is short in terms of most tortoises.
65-75 years.
(No offense to anyone over 75 years old)
Thanks Tom .... Another quiver of tort knowledge in the bag.
I plan on living forever and currently have a hatchling Desert Tort., so I will let you know how long they live in about 85+ years, since Homer is at least that. Stay tuned.
Uhh... Given what we do know, it might take longer than that...
Where did these numbers come from? How many animals were tracked and verified for the study that came up with these numbers?
Where is the proof the numbers are wrong?
Every way I have searched, there is no hardcore proof either way. There is some stuff posted on their slow metabolism factoring into the life span listed. Although, those life span numbers are 80-150 with mention of some living even longer.
Here's a study I found. I didn't read it cuz I really didn't want to lol. I believe it's on reptiles, not just tortoises.
lighthouse.mq.edu.au
Centenarian tortoises keep their secrets as longevity theories busted
lighthouse.mq.edu.au
Here is another https://www.the-scientist.com/how-slow-can-you-go-70163
I guess you just have to find the right wording to find the info looking for.
Take the info as you wish. No human can live long enough to do a 100% study. If they could, they would be helping humans live as long as you'd have to live to do the kind of 100% study some people want!
I guess you just have to find the right wording to find the info looking for.
Take the info as you wish. No human can live long enough to do a 100% study. If they could, they would be helping humans live as long as you'd have to live to do the kind of 100% study some people want!
At this point, I think this entire thread should be moved to Debatable Topics. lol
Proof that made up numbers are wrong? That is an interesting logical feat... There is no proof that any of these numbers are wrong. There is simply no evidence to back up any of these numbers because of all the variables and decades of time passing. To know how long they live, the lives of many many tortoises of each of the species would have to be tracked and documented from beginning to end. This has never been done. Prior to the early 90s, very little captive breeding was taking place, so tortoises prior to that time were usually wild caught adults of unknown age.
All we have is a scant few verifiable examples, and many of those are noteworthy because they are well over 100 years, and verifiable because some were gifted to kings that lived in places here they don't naturally occur, and this was documented more than a century ago.
Further, how does one keep records for multiple human lifetimes and make it all verifiable 100 or 200 years down the road? There have been very few cases. Suppose that you made tortoise longevity studies your life's work back in the 70s or 80s. You would have started with written journals, moved to floppy discs, writeable CDs, zip drives, remote hard drives, and who knows how many intermediate steps I am ignorantly omitting between all of these. Just in our lifetimes, can you even imagine transferring all that data from all those different devices Avery few years, and now you'd be storing it all in "the cloud", which I am sure you don't understand any better than I do.
No one has hatched a few dozen RFs and tracked their lives until they died of old age, so how could anyone know what their normal lifespan would be. Any that are dying after 60 or 80 years would have been wild caught adults from the 1940s to 1960s, and who knows how old those were upon collection. I don't know of any RFs that have been someone's pet since the 40s. Do you?
My point!
There is no proof either way. The best we have is the studies that have been done and whatever science they can put into it knowing whatever they know within all the studies on all reptiles they have done. I'm not a scientist, so I have no clue all they study and how they come up with the best guesses they can come up with, so I go with it. Who am I or you to dispute the little work they have been able to do to reach some sort of answer!
The best answer out there, at least the one I actually like the best, is 80-150. That likely covers more than not. Lol
As for the cloud. I'm still search for that darn thing. Every time I find one, it disappears. LMAO
There is no proof either way. The best we have is the studies that have been done and whatever science they can put into it knowing whatever they know within all the studies on all reptiles they have done. I'm not a scientist, so I have no clue all they study and how they come up with the best guesses they can come up with, so I go with it. Who am I or you to dispute the little work they have been able to do to reach some sort of answer!
The best answer out there, at least the one I actually like the best, is 80-150. That likely covers more than not. Lol
As for the cloud. I'm still search for that darn thing. Every time I find one, it disappears. LMAO
I have to agree strongly with this. Even if you/someone RF'd a group and tracked, recorded them (like you mentioned to many info storage issues) who's to say it was old age? There would have to be an autopsy that CONCLUSIVELY finds no cause of death. Example: Some tourist driving in the Desert sees a Desert Tort, of course has to film it then pic it up for more social media likes, the tort evacuates its bowels and now is dehydrated. Death is imminent if water is not obtained. How will this be recorded? Natural Death? You'd never know of the Tourist. We have a hard enough time finding a vet that is competent, now we are thinking that there will be hundreds of vets doing Autopsyies with correct findings? I don't think so.
I find it fascinating and mind boggling that just a person "saying" a number with no actual evidence is believed. I have 14 feet and only 2 toes, could you imagine if someone believed this and started repeating it? That's what they are doing with tort age numbers.
I don't believe that is true, that they are just picking numbers.
The life span of anything is part science part guesses. Unless the participants in any study lives exactly the same and come from the exact same genetics, then no life span predictions study is 100%, that's why they are usually listed as average life span.
Whatever science and work that is involved in getting to what they do know has to be given credit. It's more truth than any comment on here about the life span.
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Wheres the proof or documentation or story/explanation of how they reached said number? without it it's no more reliable than any FaceBook post by a stranger.
I already posted like 3 studies. No one has been able to post anything of a studying showing the numbers aren't true!
It's all guestimates as nothing like I stated in my last post has been done with 99% of any life span.
(In 2021, women had a life expectancy of 79.3 years, compared with 73.5 years for men, the study found.Nov 13, 2023)
Unless these people in above study, lived exactly the same with same genetics, this is science and guesses making up the numbers.
We all, even a doctor will repeat these numbers because there is at least some science behind it.
There is some science behind the estimates of tortoises life spans. There is zero science behind you and Toms statements.
I'm not on either side more than the other. I know with situations like life spans, it can only be studied to a point and then after that, a lot of science has to be applied to figure it all out.
As much as you and Tom and others want to challenge the numbers being repeated, you're repeating totally unfounded info.
I am repeating NO info as I don't know.
You really cannot equate a study of human life spans with Tortoise life spans, far more 'Scientific" data was recorded for the Humans. I KNOW of no study that followed Tortoises for life, none. It is very easy to do this with Humans with all the records collected on our lives. My only point in this is this ... Just because it is said does not make it true, there has to be data to back it up THEN dissect that info and come to a conclusion. This has to be repeated time after time to reach a answer. And even after all that there will be variables that change the numbers and have to accounted for by GUESSING. Until a species of torts are housed in a controlled environment and followed for life I ain't buying it. And even that is off because torts don't live in controlled environments.
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