How do tortoises live to be over 100 years old?
The Slowness Secret
How do tortoises live to be over 100 years old?
A giant tortoise plods across the grass, unbothered, ancient, and slow. Some have outlived the people who first named them. So what's the secret? How does a creature that moves like a parked car end up celebrating its hundredth birthday?
Part of the answer is right there in the slowness. A tortoise lives life in low gear. Its heart beats gently, it breathes unhurriedly, and it doesn't burn through its body in a rush. Living slow is a bit like driving slow — you get a lot more miles before things wear out.
