Photo courtesy Crawley Borough Council

Tilgate Nature Centre has contributed to a new turtle and tortoise study, challenging evolutionary theories of aging.

Researchers from the Species 360 Conservation Science Alliance used data from the Tilgate Nature Centre in collaboration with other zoos and aquariums, to examine 52 species of turtles and tortoises.

They discovered that, unlike humans and other species, turtles and tortoises may reduce the rate of aging when their living conditions improve.