It is known that turtles, representatives of the reptile squad, are distinguished by longevity. Sailing near the Galapagos Islands, the scientist presented amazing facts to the world: more than 245 thousand individuals and 14 species of turtles lived in this area.
Today, representatives of reptiles inhabit the most remote corners of the planet, and the Galapagos Islands are not in vain called Turtles.
How long does the turtle live?
The population size has decreased by almost half, due to the negative impact of the human factor. Depending on the species, the tortoise lives from 10 to 200 years. Today, the giant tortoise Jonathan, who crossed a 180-year milestone, is considered to be long-lived. Many of her “colleagues” are not able to see the world so much. Balkan turtles live no longer than 90 years. The Mediterranean and Red-eared Turtle have been around for 30-40 years. Despite these features, reptiles have always been and are an object of genuine interest of scientists and ordinary lovers of the animal world.
The secret of longevity of turtles
Turtles are quite unique animals. Their originality is manifested not only in appearance. Yes, you can’t take the exotic from them: wrinkled skin, a small head and large, columnar legs. And all this is placed under a huge, mosaic-painted shell.
A special phenomenon is the internal organs of reptiles.The tortoise is characterized by a prolonged cardiac arrest, and after a while the animal "resurrects" - the "motor" again works without interruption. Scientists are still puzzling over this mystery of nature, trying to find explanations for undeniable facts.
Land turtles are pretty hardy. They can be without food and drink for more than a year. A prolonged hunger strike in no way affects their well-being and the functioning of internal organs, the functioning of systems. They still lead a measured life, basking in the sun or hiding in the shade. By the way, the body temperature of reptiles depends on the temperature conditions where they live.
And finally, it is the ugly wrinkled skin that hides the mystery of “eternal youth”. The skin protects the internal organs and more delicate layers of the epidermis from the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation. The metabolic processes in the body of turtles are like slow motion pictures of a movie.
An interesting fact is that the appearance of modern turtles is identical to the appearance of their distant ancestors - residents of the Mesozoic era. Not every representative of the fauna can boast of such similarity. All these facts provoke scientists to further research on the amazing world of animals, in particular, the eternal turtles.
