How do you know the age of a turtle?

To cut to the chase: there's no definitive way to determine a turtle's age. Unless you know the turtle's date of birth, you'll have to resort to sometimes unreliable estimates to get a more accurate idea.

Today, we are going to see together in this article how to know the age of a turtle through multiple processes which will be able to give us a more or less precise estimate of the age of your pet. 

What are the signs to determine the age of turtles?

Many people will refer to a clue that nature provides us with for many species: the rings on their shell. Be careful, this is not necessarily a reliable indication! As mentioned, not every species produces rings (at least not on the shell), so depending on your specimen, there's no point wasting your time looking for them. We're thinking in particular of soft-shelled turtle species.

In other words, for these latter species, unless you know the hatching date , it will be very difficult to estimate its age. But don't worry, we've done some research for you so we can help you in this quest!

Wild turtle and farmed turtle: the shell is deceptive

To begin, we'll try to guide you properly based on the type of turtle you own. It's important to know that a farmed turtle will exhibit different characteristics than a turtle you might have found in the wild.

In the case of a wild turtle

The dangers of nature have meant that a specimen that has spent the majority of its life outdoors will have different visible characteristics on the shell compared to a farmed or pet store-bought turtle.

The latter, coming from the wild, will show sometimes significant damage to the shell or skin such as a very smooth plastron, bumps and chips on the back of the shell with scars on the legs or head. 

Noticing all of this allows you to differentiate a young specimen from an adult specimen. If your turtle has these characteristics, you can already estimate its age at least 10 years. 

In the case of a captive-bred turtle

For a turtle that you got from a breeder or pet store, the shell is usually in excellent condition, especially if you pay close attention to its living space. To differentiate the adult from the child, you will have to take a look at the colors of the shell . 

If it's dull in color compared to what you might see in many pictures of the same species, with fading patterns , it's most likely over 15 years old. If it looks intact, it's still a young turtle!

Land turtles and box turtles with growth rings

On the plastron, the ventral part of the shell, you can probably notice rings that form with age . These do not appear every year, but rather irregularly at certain times.

This will largely depend on food: if the diet is regular and the turtle is healthy, the rings will form more regularly than a sick turtle that eats little. Note that damaged areas do not produce growth rings. 

Once a turtle is over 20 years old, it's difficult to tell how old it is because of natural erosion caused by movement, which causes the plastron to rub against the ground. You can therefore determine if it's relatively young using this method.

The Scientific Method

If you are very knowledgeable or intend to take your turtle to a laboratory to estimate its age, some scientists will be able to examine the bones (especially sea turtles) to make estimates of your pet's age.

One theory is that some bones will create growth rings every year, so with the right equipment, you can simply count these to get an idea of ​​age. However, after many studies, it was revealed that this method does not apply to every turtle: a Kemp's ridley , the results seem correct, but not with a Leatherback turtle , for example.

What is the life expectancy of a turtle?

Scientists agree to conduct numerous experiments on determining the age of a turtle for a good reason: they can live for several decades. Up to about 50 years for box turtles or sliding turtles, but with the giant Galapagos tortoises, this can go up to over 80 years without any real problem. 

Currently, a Seychelles tortoise named Jonathan is said to be 182 years old ! Not all tortoises are lucky enough to reach that age, but on the island of Saint Helena, a breeder who takes great care of his tortoise proves that they can live well over 100 years.

Indeed, like all other animals that are not originally domestic animals, they will face many predators and many elements of nature such as disasters or pollution, which will negatively impact their life expectancy .

In the case of pet turtles or domestic tortoises, it is not an infallible science to say that its life expectancy will be greatly influenced by its owner: you know it as well as we do, taking care of a turtle is an art, you have to pay attention to every detail!

Why is a turtle's lifespan so long?

Unfortunately, we cannot know exactly why turtles can live so long: it is largely a matter of science, and science is still struggling to get all the elements that determine the why and how. 

Apart from the fact that their shell is ready to endure powerful shocks and thick skin that resists everyday friction and spikes, we can give today 3 major points that can enormously influence the lifespan of a turtle. 

A complicated reproduction

A turtle's long lifespan gives it an evolutionary advantage: reproduction is efficient, though complicated. This often occurs in environments with numerous predators, animals, and, unfortunately, humans as well.

Environments are not easy in everyday life, so nature has given them a long life expectancy to give them more time for procreation , and increase the number of times this is possible.

Long life expectancy, but slow growth

As you already know, if you want to know the age of a turtle, it's partly because it grows slowly and we would like to be able to follow its adventure from beginning to end. 

They will grow from day 1 until the last day, there is no real stoppage of growth once they reach adulthood like a bird, fish or classic mammal (including ourselves!). We owe this to a slow metabolism which allows them to get by without regular water or food intake, not to mention the advantages of survival in places not suitable for turtles.

Healthy eating and stress-free

Some turtles are carnivores (the snapping turtle), others omnivores (the red-eared slider), but the longest-lived ones, such as the giant Galapagos tortoise, have a purely vegetarian diet of green vegetables and salad.

For these specimens, they are very peaceful, docile, and very rarely aggressive: their lifestyle is simple, sunbathing on the beach and eating a few salad leaves, without fear of having a predator nearby. Unfortunately, humans have partly caused this species to become endangered today. 

Equip yourself to determine the age of your turtle

We've come to the end of this article aimed at helping you with the age of your turtle, but we have one last thing to tell you before that: if you want to venture into estimating the age of your pet, although it is very complicated, at least do it with the best accessories for turtle fans!

A little Turtle Bracelet accompanied by a Turtle T-Shirt like a true fan of the universe, it will only help you in this quest, however long it may be! Don't hesitate to give us your feedback in the comments, we respond to absolutely everyone: here, we have a passion for turtles, but also for sharing!