The Tortoise Time Machine
In short: How long giant tortoises live, and why famous ages, from Jonathan to Lonesome George, are careful estimates rather than certainties.
A 1:25 short film in the series “Nature: How Long Can It Live?”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, “Aldabra tortoise”; Smithsonian Magazine (Smithsonian Institution), “Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Ocean”; Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, “Aldabra tortoise”; National Geographic (National Geographic Partners, LLC), “Galápagos tortoises, facts and photos”; Evolutionary Applications (Blackwell Publishing), via PubMed Central (U.S. National Library of Medicine), “Recovery of a nearly extinct Galápagos tortoise despite minimal genetic variation”; Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR), AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, run by the Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, “Aldabra tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) longevity, ageing, and life history”; BBC Radio 4 (BBC), “BBC Radio 4 - St Helena - Joining the Rest of Us, The Land, St Helena - Joining the Rest of Us - Earliest known photograph of Jonathan the 182 year old tortoise, taken in 1886”; Phys.org (AFP wire story, 26 June 2012), “Hopes of saving rare tortoise die with 'Lonesome George'”; National Geographic (article by Christine Dell'Amore, published June 27, 2012), “Lonesome George, Last of His Kind, Dies in Galápagos”; Penn State (The Pennsylvania State University), Penn State News, “Secrets of reptile and amphibian aging revealed”; Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), “Slow and negligible senescence among testudines challenges evolutionary theories of senescence”; Herpetologists' League (journal Herpetologica, Vol. 59, No. 2, June 2003; Wilson, Tracy & Tracy), hosted on JSTOR/ITHAKA, “Estimating Age of Turtles from Growth Rings: A Critical Evaluation of the Technique”.
Sources used in this film
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — Aldabra tortoise · View →
- Smithsonian Magazine (Smithsonian Institution) — Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Ocean · View →
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — Aldabra tortoise · View →
- National Geographic (National Geographic Partners, LLC) — Galápagos tortoises, facts and photos · View →
- Evolutionary Applications (Blackwell Publishing), via PubMed Central (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — Recovery of a nearly extinct Galápagos tortoise despite minimal genetic variation · View →
- Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR), AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, run by the Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab — Aldabra tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) longevity, ageing, and life history · View →
- BBC Radio 4 (BBC) — BBC Radio 4 - St Helena - Joining the Rest of Us, The Land, St Helena - Joining the Rest of Us - Earliest known photograph of Jonathan the 182 year old tortoise, taken in 1886 · View →
- Phys.org (AFP wire story, 26 June 2012) — Hopes of saving rare tortoise die with 'Lonesome George' · View →
- National Geographic (article by Christine Dell'Amore, published June 27, 2012) — Lonesome George, Last of His Kind, Dies in Galápagos · View →
- Penn State (The Pennsylvania State University), Penn State News — Secrets of reptile and amphibian aging revealed · View →
- Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) — Slow and negligible senescence among testudines challenges evolutionary theories of senescence · View →
- Herpetologists' League (journal Herpetologica, Vol. 59, No. 2, June 2003; Wilson, Tracy & Tracy), hosted on JSTOR/ITHAKA — Estimating Age of Turtles from Growth Rings: A Critical Evaluation of the Technique · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute: Aldabra tortoise
- Also: Smithsonian Magazine (Smithsonian Institution): Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Ocean
- Also: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute: Aldabra tortoise
- Also: National Geographic (National Geographic Partners, LLC): Galápagos tortoises, facts and photos
- Also: Evolutionary Applications (Blackwell Publishing), via PubMed Central (U.S. National Library of Medicine): Recovery of a nearly extinct Galápagos tortoise despite minimal genetic variation
- Also: Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR), AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, run by the Genomics of Ageing an: Aldabra tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) longevity, ageing, and life history
- Also: BBC Radio 4 (BBC): BBC Radio 4 - St Helena - Joining the Rest of Us, The Land, St Helena - Joining the Rest of Us - Earliest known photograph of Jonathan the 182 year old tortoise, taken in 1886
- Also: Phys.org (AFP wire story, 26 June 2012): Hopes of saving rare tortoise die with 'Lonesome George'
- Also: National Geographic (article by Christine Dell'Amore, published June 27, 2012): Lonesome George, Last of His Kind, Dies in Galápagos
- Also: Penn State (The Pennsylvania State University), Penn State News: Secrets of reptile and amphibian aging revealed
- Also: Slow and negligible senescence among testudines challenges evolutionary theories of senescence
- Also: Herpetologists' League (journal Herpetologica, Vol. 59, No. 2, June 2003; Wilson, Tracy & Tracy), hosted on JSTOR/ITHAKA: Estimating Age of Turtles from Growth Rings: A Critical Evaluation of the Technique
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