Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

250 year old Turtle dies

That's amazing... benefits of having a REALLY slow metabolism, I guess. (Not to mention being taken care of in a zoo. All a tortoise needs is food and water and to be protected from predation and the weather, and it's happy.)
 
that's amazing. But at the end, the article says these tortoises live the longest of all animals... I thought either crocodiles or sharks had that distinction?
 
I have heard stories of Terrapins found in Maryland that are so old that cival war musket shells are imbedded in their backs. Aparently from soldiers using them as target practice.

Turtles are pretty cool.:)
 
Harriet has been a favourite of mine for a while,not as old as the Indian jobby but still been around a long time.




Harriet with Bindi
Harriet
Age: 176 year/s
Sex: Female
Collected by Sir Charles Darwin in 1835, Harriet is the oldest living animal on the planet. She gives biologists an insight into the potential longevity of giant tortoise species and to the damage potentially already done in skewing the age structure of existing populations. She is the oldest captive land animal on the planet at present. It is a privilege and an honour to meet this beautiful animal, and thousands of people all over the world will attest to this. Harriet also enjoys eating hibiscus flowers and a good scratch!

http://www.australiazoo.com.au/aust.../reptiles_sub.php?BSUSPID=103&BSPID=3#Harriet

PS Australians have a tendancy to exaggerate a bit.
 
I just came back from seeing dozens of giant tortoises from the Galapagos. They are amazing animals and HUGE.

freeny said:
I have heard stories of Terrapins found in Maryland that are so old that cival war musket shells are imbedded in their backs. Aparently from soldiers using them as target practice.
Click to expand...
At the darwin research station there is a toirtoise that has believed to have bullet holes in its carapace made by the Ecuadorian military. They believe bottles were placed on top of the carapace and then used as a target.

Edit: Random Fact: Steven Spielberg used the head of a giant tortoise for the character ET.
 
Peterkro said:
Harriet has been a favourite of mine for a while,not as old as the Indian jobby but still been around a long time.




Harriet with Bindi
Harriet
Age: 176 year/s
Sex: Female
Collected by Sir Charles Darwin in 1835, Harriet is the oldest living animal on the planet. She gives biologists an insight into the potential longevity of giant tortoise species and to the damage potentially already done in skewing the age structure of existing populations. She is the oldest captive land animal on the planet at present. It is a privilege and an honour to meet this beautiful animal, and thousands of people all over the world will attest to this. Harriet also enjoys eating hibiscus flowers and a good scratch!

http://www.australiazoo.com.au/aust.../reptiles_sub.php?BSUSPID=103&BSPID=3#Harriet

PS Australians have a tendancy to exaggerate a bit.
Click to expand...

That absolutely fascinates me! I would love to see a tortoise that was actually handled by Darwin. It's almost impossible to imagine an animal that has lived longer than the US has been a country.
 
its weird to think that this tortoise was around during the stuff im learning about in history class.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back