tortoises

[mully]

how long do tortoises live for?

[rinkytink]

Anything up to about 150 years although there have been many claims of Giant Tortoises living anything up to about 180 years.

[New Forester]

But I guess like other captive reptiles most live about perhaps year or so, until their owners find some way of killing them... Reptiles challenging pets and should not be kept unless you really know what you are doing.

[New Forester]

Sorry, a few words missing, but you'll be able to guess them...

[bernardo]

The Guinness Book of Records says that the official record is 152 years, although it has said the same thing for decades. The 152-year-old was accidentally killed in 1918, and was in fact probably much older than 152 because it was already fully-grown by the time its history can be traced.

The problem with this question is that it is very difficult to be able to prove a continuous line of ownership/ custody/ whereabouts and identity of any specific individual over the extended period which would be required. As rinkytink said, it's quite likely that there have been many living up to 200 or more.

On a tengential point, I may be wrong but I believe that reptiles like tortoises and crocodiles etc. don't actually grow old; they just carry on growing bigger and bigger until they die from illnesses or accidents or predators etc. So there may be no limit in theory to the possible age of a tortoise, as long as there is enough food and safe living conditions.

[kingbob]

my grandmother has a tortoise called turbo and he's 35 this year, he will probaly out live my grandmother, well i mean they sleep for half a year and eat the other half, what a life. on wounder they live so long

[archbishop]

Out of a matter of interest how do you pronounce tortoise? I'm a Tor-tuss man myself.