You must know about the oldest sea turtle in the world. Sea turtles are the oldest animals known today, dating back to around 110 million years ago. Many sea turtles do not mature until they are 20 years old, so it is not surprising that some of them can live much longer. What is the oldest sea turtle in the world? Sea turtles are found in almost every ocean around the world except the polar regions, and some are known to migrate extremely long distances. So let’s start our today’s topic of the oldest sea turtle.
List Of 10 Oldest Sea Turtle
In the below list of the oldest sea turtle, I mention here some sea turtle names which live long.
- Desmatochelys Padillai
- Jonathan
- Santanachelys Gaffneyi
- Ctenochelys Acris
- Leatherback Sea Turtle
- Archelon Ischyros
- Green Sea Turtle
- Flatback
- Hawksbill
- Loggerhead
10 Oldest Sea Turtle
From the above list of the oldest sea turtle, there are 10 turtles. Let’s get more details about them.
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Desmatochelys Padillai
Desmatochelys Padillai is an endangered species of sea turtle in the family Protostegidae and the oldest sea turtle ever. Estimated to be over 120 million years old, D. Padillai is currently the oldest known species of sea turtle. Although the complete fossil of Desmatochelys padillai was discovered in 2007, the true age of this sea turtle’s ancestor was not determined until 2015.
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Jonathan
Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise, a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise, and the oldest known living creature. Jonathan lives on the island of St. Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. In 2022, Jonathan was estimated by Guinness World Records to be older than Tui Malila, the tortoise died in Tonga in 1966 at the age of 189.
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Santanachelys Gaffneyi
Until a few years ago, Santanachelis Gaffneyi was cited as the oldest known sea turtle. Another extinct sea turtle over 10 million years old was killed. Although Santanachellis Gaffneyi shares many characteristics with modern sea turtles, it differs in many ways. Instead of the digitless flippers that modern sea turtles have, S. Gaffney had two moving digits on his arm.
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Ctenochelys Acris
Besides the oldest sea turtle in China, in late 2016, new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham revealed that the relatively unknown Ctenochelys Acris is the oldest known member of the genus that gave rise to the modern sea turtle. According to the research team, Ctenochelys Acris lived 80 million years ago when sea turtle species diversity was high.
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Leatherback Sea Turtle
Of the remaining seven species of sea turtle, the leatherback is the most unique and the only surviving member of the Dermochelidae family. The leatherback dates back to about 100 million years ago and is another oldest sea turtles alive. The Leatherback has distinct characteristics from all other modern sea turtles, the most notable being its soft, flexible, and rubbery.
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Archelon Ischyros
Archelon Ischyros, commonly just Archelon, is probably the most famous ancient sea turtle outside of scientific circles. Although it is difficult to determine how long Archelon tortoises generally live, a specimen in the Vienna Museum of Natural History is estimated to be approximately 100 years old and the oldest sea turtle in the world ever recorded.
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Green Sea Turtle
Do you know how long do turtles live?
Green Sea turtles have only one set of scales in front of their eyes instead of two pairs like other hard-shelled sea turtles. Green Sea turtles live for more than 80 years. Green turtles are generally divided into two subspecies, the green turtle and the black or eastern Pacific green turtle.
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Flatback
The Flatback sea turtle was named for its unique flat shell, which differs from the curved shell of other sea turtles. Flatbacks have the smallest distribution of all sea turtles and are only found in waters off Australia and Papua New Guinea. Flatbacks have the smallest distribution of all sea turtles and are only found in waters off Australia and Papua New Guinea.
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Hawksbill
The Hawksbill sea turtle is known for its beautifully patterned shell, called a tortoise shell. Apart from the sea turtle lifespan 500 years, they live between 30 to 50 years and it is the only extant species of the genus Eretmochelys. The beauty of the hawksbill’s shell was almost destroyed and it was almost on the verge of extinction.
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Loggerhead
The loggerhead sea turtle is a species of sea turtle with a worldwide distribution and became the oldest sea turtle in the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the Chelonidae family, and lived up to 47 to 67 years. The loggerhead sea turtle is named for its relatively large head and heavy and very strong jaws. Loggerhead sea turtles are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
How many eggs do sea turtles lay at one time? During the nesting season, females lay two to six eggs, each containing 65 to 180 eggs.
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FAQ
What Is The Oldest Sea Turtle In The World?
According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan is the oldest-ever chelonian – a category that encompasses all turtles, terrapins and tortoises. Thought to have been born around 1832, Jonathan was gifted to Sir William Grey-Wilson – who later became governor – arriving in St. Helena from the Seychelles in 1882.
Can Turtles Live Up To 500 Years?
Their lifespan can be 150 years or more. As with whales, sharks, and other species, it is often difficult to determine a turtle’s exact age. After all, researchers are not usually present when the animals are born. Some have estimated, however, that large turtles may be able to live 400 to 500 years!
What Turtle Can Live Up To 100 Years?
Leopard tortoise: 100 years or more. Greek tortoise: 100 years or more. Hermann’s tortoise: 70-100 years. Sulcata tortoise: 30-50 years commonly, up to 120 years.
Can Sea Turtles Live For 100 Years?
Sea turtles’ natural lifespan is estimated to be 50-100 years. An adult hawksbill sea turtle eats an average of 1,200 pounds of sponges a year. Loggerhead sea turtles, named for their relatively large heads, have powerful jaws for cracking hard-shelled prey like whelks and conchs.
Can A Turtle Be 1000 Years Old?
Turtles live a long time and have been estimated to live for over 100 years at least, with some studies showing that they can live up to 400 years, and with Indigenous Peoples across the world having told us that they live up to 1000 years.
Conclusion
From the above article, we discussed how old is the oldest sea turtle and also some of their details. Known as marine reptiles, sea turtles are one of only four reptiles that have adapted to life in the ocean, the others being crocodiles, marine iguanas, and sea snakes. Most sea turtles are omnivorous and eat seaweed, jellyfish, squid, and barnacles, although the green sea turtle is herbivorous and uses its front flippers to grab and hold its food. I think you don’t have any questions regarding the oldest sea turtle.
