Older than your dad. Older than your nan. Older than your GREAT nan! Older than...well, the oldest known living tortoise (and land animal) is Jonathan, who was born in 1832 and is STILL ALIVE! Yes, you read that right! He's 190 years old and has lived through Queen Victoria's entire reign, the invention of the telephone, World War II and every Walkers crisp advert Gary Lineker has ever been in! 4. They Are (Mostly) Herbivores Hirasawa, T., H. Nagashima, and S. Kuratani. 2013. The endoskeletal origin of the turtle carapace. Nature Communications 4. Tortoise, turtles is a living being while their shell is non living thing then when the tortoise grows why its shell also starts grows because shell is a non living thing.

Pyramiding is a shell deformity of captive tortoises, in which the shell grows unevenly resulting in a pyramid shape underlying each scute. Factors which may contribute to pyramiding include inadequate water supply; the consumption of excessive animal or vegetable protein; inadequate calcium, UVB and/or vitamin D3; poor nutrition. [50] [51] [52] Thomson, S.; Irwin, S.; Irwin, T. (1995). "Harriet, the Galapagos tortoise: disclosing one and a half centuries of history". Intermontanus. 4 (5): 33–35. In species such as wood turtles, box turtles, and tortoises, scutes can grow bigger in diameter when new keratin is formed. To determine the age of some turtles, the “growth rings” of turtles have been studied. A deficiency of vitamin D3 can also be a cause of soft shell, because it stimulates the uptake of calcium from the gut as well as controlling its use and storage in the body.Gray, John Edward (1873). "Notes on the genera of turtles ( Oiacopodes), and especially on their skeletons and skulls". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1873: 395–411.

Turtles are related to dinosaurs, and the latest genetic studies suggest turtles share the same ancestor. The earliest turtles existed together with the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Descendants of ancient turtles are still present today, with most of them being species of sea turtles. Do butterflies have hearts? Emphasizing these attributes further underscores why understanding their skeleton is essential not only for researchers but also for enthusiasts fascinated by these magnificent reptiles. To illustrate this information more visually, refer to the following table showcasing additional characteristics: BoneThere is a specific form of shell rot, known as Septicaemic Ulcerative Shell Disease or SCUD. Signs to watch for: Cherepanov, G. O. (2015). "Scute's polymorphism as a source of evolutionary development of the turtle shell". Paleontological Journal. 49 (14): 1635–1644. Bibcode: 2015PalJ...49.1635C. doi: 10.1134/S003103011514004X. S2CID 88095099. Highfield, Andy. "Tortoise egg incubation". Tortoisetrust.org. Archived from the original on 2013-09-05 . Retrieved 2009-04-07.

Running through your management and identifying any problems at this early stage is the best way to combat this disfiguring condition. The plastral scutes join along a central seam down the middle of the plastron. The relative lengths of the seam segments can be used to help identify a species of turtle. There are six laterally symmetric pairs of scutes on the plastron: gular, humeral, pectoral, abdominal, femoral, and anal (going from the head to the tail down the seam); the abdominal and gular scute seams are approximately the same length, and the femoral and pectoral seams are approximately the same length. Harris, Samantha. "How Strong Is A Tortoise Shell?". Tortoise Knowledge . Retrieved 23 January 2023. Lindholm, Wassili A. (1929). "Revidiertes Verzeichnis der Gattungen der rezenten Schildkröten nebst Notizen zur Nomenkl

Auffenberg, Walter (1977-02-01). "Display Behavior in Tortoises". American Zoologist. 17 (1): 241–250. doi: 10.1093/icb/17.1.241. ISSN 0003-1569. The shell damage in such cases may not always be evident though, depending partly on the cause, and so imaging techniques are likely to be required, to determine what is happening within the tortoise’s body. The risk of MBD is lessened if you use a pelleted diet alongside fresh foods for your tortoise, as these are carefully formulated with regards to their calcium:phosphorus ratio. Kaplan, H. M. (1957). "Septicemic, cutaneous ulcerative disease of turtles". Proc. Animal Care Panel. 7: 273–277. Next, we will explore the importance of comprehending turtle and tortoise skeleton anatomy in various scientific fields and conservation practices. Importance of understanding turtle and tortoise skeleton anatomy

Do provide a provide a damper area where your tortoise can retreat if it wishes. Bathing may help too as another preventive measure. Timothy, a female spur-thighed tortoise, lived to be about 165 years old. For 38 years, she was carried as a mascot aboard various ships in Britain's Royal Navy. Then in 1892, at age 53, she retired to the grounds of Powderham Castle in Devon. Up to the time of her death in 2004, she was believed to be the United Kingdom's oldest resident. [18]By examining these bones collectively within their anatomical context using radiographs or dissections conducted post-mortem or under controlled conditions with live subjects – researchers can unravel intricate details about each species’ specific adaptations. Pritchard, P.C.H. (1988). "A survey of neural bone variation among recent chelonian species, with functional interpretations". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 31 (26): 625–686.