Life expectancy of turtles. Age of turtles. The sizes of turtles

When we are going to buy a pet, the last question is how much time our pet will spend with us. The life expectancy of turtles is today considered to be the longest, for some individuals its term reaches 150 years or more. Recently, the hobby of keeping their homes very popular.

Features of turtles

Their appearance is so peculiar that these reptiles can not be confused with anyone. From other animals they are distinguished by the presence of a shell, which serves as a kind of shield, located on the upper part of the body. The carapace is a bone covered with cornified plates.

The body of the turtle has grown together with the shell, and represents a single whole with the entire bone system. The shell is provided with holes through which the animal can easily draw its limbs. Its shape and structural structure can be different and largely determined by the habitat of the turtle. For example, marine reptiles have a flat carapace, while in terrestrial counterparts it is thicker and has a convex shape.

How many live turtles?

The question of how much is the life expectancy of turtles, becomes particularly acute when they are enthusiastic fans to start the houses of exotic pets. The answer is obvious: it all depends on the proper care of the reptiles.

Today there are about 300 kinds of turtles around the world, while in Russia there are only 7. Animals of any kind are very tenacious and enduring. They have good immunity, helping to overcome many infections and contributing to the rapid healing of injuries.

These cute reptiles are absolutely indiscriminate in food, can stay without food for a long time, and feel well.

The life expectancy of turtles of different species differs from each other. For example, there is a case where a tortoise named Marion is 152 years old and still alive. Under favorable conditions, it is fully capable of reaching 200 and even 300 years. So long live giant turtles, living in the Galapagos Islands. Turtles of large sizes are recognized as long-livers among this class of animals. Obviously, this is due to the slow exchange of substances. Most of the species of turtles are 20-30 years old. A popular species of red-eared, for example, lives 30 years when creating favorable conditions.

Why do turtles live so long?

This animal can manage for a long time not only without food, but also without water. There are cases when tortoises were treated without food for a long time, measured by several years. This surprising fact of their behavior was fixed for a long time. Turtles all their long life move very slowly, have wrinkled skin. For these reasons, it is very difficult to notice the age changes and aging. The same applies to internal organs.

Scientists have long been looking for an answer, on which the life span of turtles depends, studying their genetic characteristics. The natural death of these reptiles overtakes very rarely. The cause of death is often a disease or death from predators and people.

If these cases were excluded, the life of the turtles would last much longer. They have another amazing feature - to control the heartbeat: stop it for a while, and then start again. When the heart stops, the turtle freezes and does not move at all.

Turtles are long-livers of the planet

Studies have shown that these reptiles live on the earth for more than two hundred million years. There is a suspicion that they have mastered the land before dinosaurs. For such a long time the turtles have not undergone any changes, as if evolutionary changes have not touched them.

This has not happened to any animal on the planet. This quality adapts to any external conditions and explains such a long life for turtles.

Lifetime of domestic turtles

The age of the wild tortoises may exceed the life expectancy several times under favorable conditions.

If we consider the issue of life expectancy of domestic reptiles, then the indicators are more modest. And still, compared to other domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, they live much longer.

The popular turtles at home have the following life expectancy:

• Red-eared - 30 years;
• European marsh - 20-25 years;
• Central Asian - 20-30 years.

When you look at these indicators, the conclusion suggests that when you plant a turtle at home, you must be ready to live with it a significant part of your life and provide this amazing silent inhabitant with a decent care and attention.

The sizes of land tortoises

The size of the land reptile is affected in many ways by its appearance. The largest land animal is an elephant. The sizes of turtles sometimes reach 1.8 meters, and weight - 300 kilograms. It is impossible to keep such a giant at home.

Land turtles, which are recommended for keeping a house, usually have a length of about 40 centimeters. This is due to the small living area and the limited turtle dwelling. If it lives in a spacious place, which does not restrict movement, it develops much more actively. If a turtle, when it reaches a certain size, slows down in growth, it means it has become cramped in the enclosure and, consequently, it is difficult to move around in it. In order to grow a reptile much larger than its relatives, it is necessary to ensure its spacious abode.

Turtles of the largest size, living in the marine environment, are huge reptiles, they are also called leathery. They got their name because of the shell, consisting of small-sized lamellar bones, connected to each other, but separated from the skeleton. Because of this structure, the turtle is unable to draw and hide the head inside.

The length of reptiles reaches two and a half meters, and weight - about six hundred kilograms. They are the inhabitants of any southern warm sea. Despite the fact that there are such turtles in the world a lot, they can be seen extremely rarely.
Because of caution, leathery inhabitants of the sea swim close to the shore and leave the sea only at night, when on land there are fewer dangers.

The main delicacy of these turtles are mollusks, as well as small fish, crustaceans, jellyfish, scallops. The meat of the reptiles themselves of this species is quite suitable for eating, despite the fact that there are cases of poisoning with toxins contained in it. For a turtle, toxins that enter the body with food do not pose a danger, but for a person such meat is dangerous.

Among the inhabitants of marine reptiles, the so-called green ones are considered large. They are also called soup. The habitat of these animals is the subtropics and tropics of the world ocean. By the size in length they reach one and a half meters, and the weight is close to two hundred pounds. There are single individuals that have a weight of half a ton, and the length reaches two meters.

Red-bellied turtle - an ideal option for those who did not previously domesticated reptiles

Such a pet is quite hardy and can adapt to different habitats. All the same, the owner needs money and time to support such a friend in good health. In general, the red-bellied tortoise perfectly tolerates cohabitation with a person, even despite its fearfulness in the wild. From food, domesticated reptiles prefer a special food. The life cycle of this exotic animal ranges from 50 to 70 years.

If you are seriously looking for a pet with whom you want to live side by side a long and happy life - the right choice will undoubtedly be the purchase of a turtle.