How many years can a turtle live?

The average life span of turtles is 70 years, which is the longest among vertebrates. Turtles have always represented longevity. People often write greetings such as "Song Heshou, Gui Heshou" on birthday gifts for the elderly. There are some exaggerations and myths about the age of turtles recorded in ancient books, but there are records of long-lived turtles in real life. It takes a long time to observe and record the life span of turtles, and some species or individuals need to observe for several generations continuously, otherwise the correct results will not be obtained. The source of information about the study of tortoise's life span is generally based on the records of zoo feeding. In addition, scientists can also calculate the life span of turtles according to the theory of the ability of division and proliferation of cultured embryonic cells and the length of life, that is, the more times embryonic cells divide and proliferate, the longer their average life span. This method can be used to calculate the average life span of various animals. The ability of human embryonic cells to divide and reproduce is 40 ~ 60 times, and the life span is about 1 10 years. The ability of chicken embryo cells to divide and reproduce is 15 ~ 35 times, and its life span is about 30 years. The embryo cells of Galapagos tortoises divide and reproduce 90 ~ 125 times, and their life span is about 175 years. For the whole turtle, the average life span can reach 70 years, which is the longest-lived group among reptiles and vertebrates. Turtles have strong adaptability to the natural environment, low metabolism level and late sexual maturity. Scientists believe that the main reason for turtles' longevity is their strong ability to adapt to the natural environment. They can tolerate abnormal temperature and humidity changes and spend bad seasons with "summer sleep" or "hibernation" in high or low temperature seasons; Turtles have a wide range of eating habits, strong adaptability to food, easy to learn to eat new bait, and more resistant to hunger. Ordinary turtles can live for a year without eating or drinking. In addition, their metabolic level is low and their sexual maturity is late. Generally, the mature age is about 6 ~ 12 years old, and some even exceed 20 years old, which is conducive to longevity. The longevity of turtles is of great biological significance to the continuation and prosperity of their populations. Turtles are egg-laying animals, which hatch at natural temperature for several months. They are easily influenced by natural enemies and climate, and their hatching rate and larval survival rate are low. So the longevity of turtles is one of the survival strategies to make up for the low reproduction rate.