Loretta,
What a good question. I know most turtles live a long time, but I didn't have a clue about this turtle. It turns out that this is a Eastern Box Turtle and they can live up to 100 years with the average being 50 to 60 years. I found out some neat stuff about these little creatures. One reason he/she stays in our yard every year is because their home turf is only about 750 feet from where they hibernate though winter. We have a nice wet weather creek that runs through our property so that is where his home is I guess. Hopefully we will be seeing Howie for many more years. :D