Interesting articles on aging and what we can learn about aging from studying reptiles at this site.....
http://www.senescence.info
http://www.senescence.info/models.html
From the second link....
"....reptiles, in general, age slower than mammals. Not [do] only reptiles age slower than size-equivalent mammals, but several reptilian families feature apparently non-aging animals with traits such as continuous tooth replacement and often female reptiles feature oocyte regeneration. Of course not all reptiles age slower than all mammals for that would be unrealistic given the flexibility demonstrated by natural selection in modulating longevity and aging (Cutler, 1979; de Magalhaes, 2003 for arguments). Still, maybe mammals lack certain anti-aging mechanisms that are present in some or all reptiles (de Magalhaes and Toussaint, 2002). Pathways unique to reptiles have already been identified that could contribute to the delayed reptilian aging (see Lutz et al., 2003). For instance, neurogenesis is predominant in reptiles (Font et al., 2001). Other studies found unique traits in reptiles that could be useful to humans: crocodiles have been shown to possess novel antimicrobial peptides (Shaharabany et al., 1999). Clearly, long-lived reptiles are an underestimated model for the study of aging and more attention should be given to study reptilian aging or the apparent absence of aging of some species."
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