Over time animal researches have learned that the larger animals tend to live alot longer however tortoises have the added. Ironically this is also part of the reason why their populations have declined so much.
One of the theories is that slow metabolism equal longer lives.
Why do tortoises live so long reddit. There are a few reasons for this. Most reptiles including tortoises have really slow metabolisms. They use very little energy which is very efficient.
They dont have to hunt their food which again saves energy. Plant material also digests much more slowly than meat which contributes to. Why do turtlestortoises live so long in comparison to many larger mammals.
Biology What is it about them that causes them to live much longer than say dogs and cats. I have zero knowledge about it and would like to know the reason. Scientists believe the lifespans of giant tortoises like George are so long because they have gene variants that tweak how their DNA is repaired and their bodies respond to inflammation and the development of cancer.
Why do tortoises live so long. This thread is archived. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast.
Scientists are still trying to figure that out. One of the theories is that slow metabolism equal longer lives. Another theory is that tortoises invest more time and energy into protecting themselves rather than reproducing which is why they have these giant shells and are typically found on islands where predation is relatively low.
So to answer your question the reason tortoises live so long is so that they can produce the greatest number of healthy offspring they can and so they can maximize their offsprings odds of surviving to adulthood and repeating the process. More likely well soon discover that tortoises and turtles live so long because of a variety of factors that include evolution location and certain strains of DNA. For now the best we can do is explain how certain factors can either increase or decrease a tortoises or turtles life and then hope you do right by your pets.
Giant tortoises on the other hand which burn energy at a far lower rate can crawl into an eighteenth decade. Metabolic rates differ dramatically between species. Part of the reason why these animals can live so long is that they have such a slow metabolism.
As a general rule animals with a high metabolic rate die early and those that burn energy more slowly plod on for decades. Here are the few reasons why tortoises live so long. A very long and delayed reproduction period of tortoises.
For tortoises things move at a very slow pace than for us. There has known to be tortoises who have lived up to 150 years old obviously ensuring health the correct environment and eating habbits encoruages this long lifespan. But why do tortoises live for so long.
This is mainly to do with science evolution and genetics. Over time animal researches have learned that the larger animals tend to live alot longer however tortoises have the added. There is no hard and fast answer for why turtles and tortoises live so long.
There are however a few theories including the slow rate of their metabolisms naturally healthy lifestyles and evolutionary theories regarding reproduction. Scientists believe the lifespans of giant tortoises like George are so long because they have gene variants that tweak how their DNA is repaired and their bodies respond to inflammation and the. One of the most widely accepted hypotheses regarding the longevity of turtles has to do with their slow metabolism.
For the uninformed metabolism generally refers to the chemical and physical processes that go on inside a living being in order to keep it alive. According to this theory tortoises live longer because their slow metabolisms burn less energy which means less harm to the cells in their bodies. There isnt much that is physiologically limiting tortoises from being sprinters other than the obvious- the spinal column and other skeletal elements are modified into a shell.
All of that bone is heavy and having a shell limits limb and lung pl. There are reports of some of these animals living about 200 years. Part of the reason why these animals can live so long is because they have such a slow metabolism.
Ironically this is also part of the reason why their populations have declined so much. The Galápagos tortoises can live up to a. Whats a turtle.
Why do they live so damn long. Whats up with their junk. Wildlife biologist and testudinologist Amanda Hipps studies gopher tortoises and dishes about turtle nomenclature cliques dicks behavior burrows evolution habitats and more.
If you dont dig tortoises yet youre about to fall deep into a turtle tunnel in love with them.