Survivorship and Longevity of a Long-Lived Vertebrate Species: How Long do Turtles Live?

Abstract
A 13-yr mark-release-recapture study on natural populations of freshwater turtles, Pseudemys scripta, of known age indicates that .apprx. 1% of the individuals can be expected to attain an age of 20 yr. Probable maximum longevity in natural populations is .apprx. 30 yr, in contrast to published estimates of up to 75 yr. Adults follow a type II survivorship curve with constant rates of mortality at all ages, as do many other long-lived species that have been studied.