What gene makes Galapagos tortoise live for so long?

Food for the tortoises is not exactly abundant in the Galápagos Islands. As an adaptation to this, they have a very slow metabolism, the move slowly, and they grow slowly, so they don’t require much food. read more

The giant tortoise has an armored shell for protection, but it also has a couple of other features that correlate with long life. As an island species, it has enjoyed natural protection from predators over the course of its history. It's also very large, and larger animals tend to live longer than small ones. read more

Tortoises like the ones that you hear living hundreds of years, they tend to be herbivores living in areas that don’t have many predators. As long as the weather’s nice, the food is readily available, and they get lucky, there’s nothing to kill them. read more