Talk:Tu'i Malila

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I would very much doubt that this named tortoise is in the family Cheloniinae. As most of the members are sea turtles. but i fixed the link to point to that subfamily anyway as i really don't know. sunja 01:38, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Age at death

This particular tortoise was given to the royal family in either 1773 or 1777, the exact date is not known. It remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on 1965-05-19. This means that upon its death, Tu'i Malila was either 188 or 192 years old

The number of years given as the age of the animal at death is the difference between the year it died and the year it was offered as a gift by Cook -- not necessarily when it was born. Thus, unless it is known that it was born in that same year -- which then should be specified in the text -- the age-at-death given should be considered the minimum possible age it reached. --Cotoco 11:05, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Thanks to user 70.110.204.93 for adding "at least". --Cotoco 19:58, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Image

Congratulations on the picture, which is a classic; the bemused body language of the people as they contemplate the small aged lump on the ground speaks volumes about the monarchy, colonialism, tortoises, and the interactions thereof. -Ashley Pomeroy 15:14, 17 October 2005 (UTC)