Blogs > Liberty and Power > Clive of India’s Tortoise Dies, Aged 255

Mar 24, 2006

Clive of India’s Tortoise Dies, Aged 255




A tortoise brought as a present for Clive of India has died at the venerable age of 255 in Alipore Zoo in Kolkata (Calcutta), India.

"The giant Aldabra tortoise was one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the British East India Company. Clive died in 1774."

The three other tortoises given as gifts to Clive died soon after they arrived in Kolkata. Although the zoo's records show that the tortoise was born in 1750, some claim he was born in 1705. The zoo will use carbon-dating to determine his real age.

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Gary McGath - 3/24/2006

I thought that carbon dating didn't work with living things, since they're constantly exchanging carbon with their environment. But maybe carbon dating can be done on its shell, or something like that?