Why do sea turtles live so long?

The longevity of sea turtles has been speculated at 80 - 200 years Ectothermia, or cold-bloodedness, is a major benefit to big animals like them. They need only a fraction of the food other animals need, their hearts beat more slowly, their cells burn and die more slowly, many diseases cannot affect them, they can tolerate a lot of environmental and dietary change, and they can go dormant when things are too bad and just wait for better times.