Why tortoise lives for over 150 years — and other interesting titbits about this special child of nature

Tortoise is one animal which Mother Nature has blessed with eternal life. Not only that, it has many such qualities that are barely found among other animals. But for Antarctica, it is found in all those places where temperature suits its capacity to breed. There are 350 species of tortoise in the world, and most of them live in the water, though a few of them also live on the land. Still, there are a few that live in the water as well as on the land. Their number is 129. The species of a tortoise can be identified with the help of its shell which is very hard and which they carry since birth. It is attached to their nerves and grows with the passage of time, protecting them from other animals. The cover is so strong that it can even withstand the gunshots. To break the cover, it is necessary to strike it with 200 times more weight than the body of the tortoise. As its shell is very hard, a tortoise does not require to swell its chest for breathing. This is the reason why the muscles of a particular area of its body grow, which help it to breathe. A tortoise uses its neck to smell and can feel a touch on the shell of its body. It has a powerful sight and a strong hearing capacity. Nevertheless, it moves very slowly. It is the slowest of all animals on the earth. A few tortoises can walk up to a maximum of one kilometre an hour. It has no teeth. Turtles lay eggs. A female tortoise lays 30 eggs which hatch between 90 and 150 days. A female tortoise digs earth to lay eggs. The tail and the body of a female tortoise are bigger than those of its male counterpart. A female tortoise breeds through its tail. A tortoise is a gentle animal, but, at the time of breeding, it makes some crackling noises. A tortoise lives for more than 150 years, because the blood of this animal is colder than that of others. It is believed that the animals with cold blood live for longer periods than other animals. A tortoise Jonathan lived for the longest period — 187 years. Similarly, another tortoise, Harriet, found by Charles Darwin in 1835, died at a zoo in Australia in 2006. Eating habits A few tortoises are carnivorous; a few are herbivorous; and a few others are omnivorous. The eating habits of tortoises depend on the climatic condition of the area they live in. The turtles living on land generally leave off crickets, fruits, grass, moss and jellyfish. The tortoises living in rivers and in other water bodies may be carnivorous as well as herbivorous. They generally eat small insects, fish, toads, snails, grass, fruits, flowers, leaves and seeds. Difference between tortoise and turtle The main difference between a tortoise and a turtle is that a tortoise lives in forests, on lands, and in deserts. And only when it is thirsty, it goes to a water body. But turtles living in water bodies come to the land only when it lays eggs. Do you know?

• Hawksbill living in the sea eats only poisonous animals.
• Galapagos tortoises hunt birds. For this, they press their victims under their shell, so that it is crushed.
• In some islands, giant tortoises are found. They may be six feet long and five feet wide. They weigh more than 400 kg.
• In winters, the tortoises go into slumber for several months and remain in that state without eating anything.

The tortoises belong to the protected category of animals. In 1968, the erstwhile USSR sent tortoises and a few other animals to space, and when they returned, the weight of tortoises decreased by 10 percent. The author retired as Director-General of Madhya Pradesh Police and also worked as an officer in the Indian Forest Service. Shrivastava who has done PhD in botany (forest ecology) has been writing articles on wildlife and environment for different national and international magazines for many years. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.