# Are turtles immortal or what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469 "2002-12-13T08:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/21 "2002-12-13T23:50:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sauroposeidon \* > \*\*The scientific definition of a ‘reptile’ is “the most recent common ancestor of extant turtles and saurians, and all of its descendants”. \*\* _One_ scientific definition of _Reptilia_ is “the most recent common ancestor of extant turtles and saurians, and all of its descendants”. “Reptile” does not have a scientific meaning, although “bird” and “mammal” do. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/22 "2002-12-14T01:17:06Z")
Some biologists still use “reptile” as an informal “paraphyletic” term to mean “the amniote clade, with the mammal and bird clades shaved off”. **Darwin’s Finch** is a strict cladist, who doesn’t like to use a term unless it encompasses a common ancestor and all of its descendants. On balance I like **Finch’s** way better myself, now that I understand it, but at first it’s very jarring to those of us who were taught that mammals descended from reptiles, amphibians, and fish to now be told that we should be saying “non-mammalian amniotes, non-amniotic tetrapods, and non-tetrapod vertebrates” instead. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/23 "2002-12-14T01:27:29Z")
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Humans & reptiles evolved from the same family tree or not, cells of these turtles and tortoises are essentially immortal. Yes/no? In naming this thread I’m guilty of a sales tactic. Obviously I don’t expect any turtles to survive to the end of the earth or beyond. Given ideal conditions, are these guys going to naturally age & die or not? Is there a built in “we must age & die now” mechanism or not? Should the Energizer Bunny be remarketed as the Energizer Turtle? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/24 "2002-12-14T01:40:52Z")
Well, that’s the point, **levdrakon** – nobody really knows. That’s why the guy’s studying them, although, for reasons discussed above, it’s going to be difficult to come to any solid conclusions anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![psychomonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@psychomonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychomonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/25 "2002-12-14T01:52:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I am Sparticus \* > \*\*(now there’s a boring porn tape) \*\* On the contrary, at my High School theres a pretty well known video shown in biology showing a couple of turtles umm… making baby turtles? Its quite possibly the most amusing video ever shown in school. ---
**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/26 "2002-12-14T02:50:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jklann \* > \*\*Some biologists still use “reptile” as an informal “paraphyletic” term to mean “the amniote clade, with the mammal and bird clades shaved off”. **Darwin’s Finch** is a strict cladist, who doesn’t like to use a term unless it encompasses a common ancestor and all of its descendants. > > On balance I like **Finch’s** way better myself, now that I understand it, but at first it’s very jarring to those of us who were taught that mammals descended from reptiles, amphibians, and fish to now be told that we should be saying “non-mammalian amniotes, non-amniotic tetrapods, and non-tetrapod vertebrates” instead. \*\* let us not forget the “non-avian dinosaurs”…😃 ---
**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/27 "2002-12-14T02:50:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jklann \* > \*\*Some biologists still use “reptile” as an informal “paraphyletic” term to mean “the amniote clade, with the mammal and bird clades shaved off”. **Darwin’s Finch** is a strict cladist, who doesn’t like to use a term unless it encompasses a common ancestor and all of its descendants. > > On balance I like **Finch’s** way better myself, now that I understand it, but at first it’s very jarring to those of us who were taught that mammals descended from reptiles, amphibians, and fish to now be told that we should be saying “non-mammalian amniotes, non-amniotic tetrapods, and non-tetrapod vertebrates” instead. \*\* let us not forget the “non-avian dinosaurs”…😃 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/28 "2002-12-14T06:40:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*I seem to remember from high school biology that there were certain animals, some type of shellfish was used as an example I think, that don’t experience natural death, but that die out all the same due to accident or disease or whatever. Do I remember correctly, and is this along the same line? \*\* I was told the same thing at a wild-life lecture about opposums: supposedly scientists have not been able to determine their nature lifespan in the wild because their subjects all die by misadventure by 18 months or so. I don’t really think this is what the OP was getting at though. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469/29 "2002-12-15T10:59:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by raisinbread \* > \*\*Fuck, I thought the title was “are turtles immoral or what?” Cruisy terrapin action??? \*\* No, no, no! That’s hot teenage horny virgin XXX highschool porno cruisy terrapin action! I got it in a spam message today. From some AOL address I think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-turtles-immortal-or-what/142469.md?page=1)