Problem:
I read that they take up to 40 years (in the wild) to reach the age of reproduction and are thought to live over 100 years, with one in captivity reaching over 170 years.
Can someone explain in layman's terms how taking longer (especially spending years as a small tortoise) to reproduce was a winning trait, and how their biology delays the processes of senescence to the extent that it does compared to most other species? Justify your answer.