Why does a sloth die soon while a tortoise live so long?
Does the latter have more hdl ? Find the gene that is different in
them and you may have a clue to immortality.

excerpt

Clive of India's tortoise dies aged 250
ARUNDHATI RAY
IN CALCUTTA
HE WAS reputedly owned by the imperial hero Clive of India, lived
through the industrial revolution, the Napoleonic wars and the space
age, but yesterday Adwaitya, the world's oldest tortoise, finally
tired of life after more than 250 years.

The giant aldabra tortoise died in Calcutta Zoo of liver failure,
taking all the secrets of an existence spanning three centuries with
him.

"Historical records show he was a pet of British general Robert Clive
of the East India Company and had spent several years in his sprawling
estate before he was brought to the zoo about 130 years ago," said
Jogesh Barman, the West Bengal forest minister.

"We have documents to prove that he was more than 150 years old, but
we have pieced together other evidence, like statements from authentic
sources and it seems he is more than 250 years old."

Details about the tortoise's early life showed that British sailors
had brought him from the Seychelles and presented him to Clive, who
was rising fast in the East India Company's military hierarchy, the
minister said.

If Adwaitya's age is proved by planned carbon-dating of his shell, he
will take the longest-lived crown from another tortoise with
connections to empire.

Tui Malila, who was presented to the Tongan royal family by Captain
Cook, in either 1773 or 1777, remained in their care until its death
from natural causes in 1965. This means Tui Malila was at least either
188 or 192 years old.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=457742006
..
Some flies last only a couple of days, while a termite queen can
survive for 30 years.