Species360, an organisation that facilitates international collaboration in the collection, sharing and analysis of knowledge on wildlife, has revealed that data from its Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) has enabled researchers to examine tortoise and turtle evolutionary ageing theories in more detail.
Death, and the contributory factors leading to it, have long been a fascination to people, and especially to scientists studying zoological species with differing lifespans. Even though humans typically live longer compared to a century ago, studies show that tortoises and turtles may follow a different ageing process compared to humans and other species altogether.
Evolutionary theories have long suggested that living organisms follow a process known as senescence, where animals weaken and deteriorate with age culminating in death. The Species360 Conservation Science Alliance and the University of Southern Denmark now have data indicating that certain animal species may display slower or even negligible senescence, should their living conditions improve.
Quality of life means longer life
The Science journal has published data from the Species360 Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), which examines 52 species of turtles and tortoises found in zoos and aquariums around the world. They concluded that, unlike humans and other species, turtles and tortoises might in fact defy common evolutionary theories and reduce the rate of ageing in response to improvements in environmental conditions.
Out of the turtle and tortoise species studied, extremely slow senescence is shown by 75%, with 80% having slower senescence than modern-day humans.
“We find that some of these species can reduce their rate of ageing in response to the improved living conditions found in zoos and aquariums, compared to the wild,” says study co-author Prof. Dalia Conde, the director of science for Species360, and head of the Species360 Conservation Science Alliance.
“Not immortal”
Organisms that continue to grow after sexual maturity are believed to have the possibility to repair cellular damage and are consequently thought to be ideal candidates for reducing the harmful effects of ageing.
Conde was assisted in the study by Dr Fernando Colchero, Species360 Conservation Science Alliance’s principal statistical analyst, and an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
Colchero says: “It is worth noting that the fact that some species of turtle and tortoise show negligible senescence does not mean they are immortal; it only means that their risk of death does not increase with age, but it is still larger than zero.
“In short, all of them will eventually die due to unavoidable causes of mortality such as illness.”
An international effort
The study was made viable with the assistance of over 1,200 international Species360 member institutions and recordkeepers, who are committed to collecting and curating wildlife data.
Non-profit Species360’s ZIMS is the most extensive database of animal knowledge known worldwide and acts as a crucial tool for unlocking essential insights into species to aid care and conservation.
The Conservation Science Alliance benefits from the support of its main sponsoring partners; Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo, Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Group, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
The Species360 Conservation Science Alliance has also worked with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB), and the University of Southern Denmark to study the link between brain size and life expectancy.
