All still firm and crisp: Seychelles giant tortoise Jonathan has lived on St. Helena since 1882 but is already at least 191 years old.
DLNews Pets:
Do we need to start worrying about Joe Biden (81)?😊
There is a turtle that has a vast number of US presidents "on its conscience," so to speak. At 191 years old, the armored Grandpa Jonathan is not only the oldest living land animal - he has also survived an incredible 40 US presidents (and two world wars). As a reminder, Biden is the 46th president of the USA.
While most of his predecessors (including Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt) are no longer with us, "Chill Toad" Jonathan has been relaxing on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic for 141 years. It was presented to the then-governor there as a gift in 1882.
When Abraham Lincoln was US President from 1861 until he died in 1865, Jonathan the tortoise was just in his thirties.
The year of birth of the Seychelles giant tortoise is estimated to be 1832 - a conservative estimate, as Jonathan is said to have been fully grown when he arrived on St. Helena - i.e., at least 50 years old.
Theodore Roosevelt lived until 1919 and was US President between 1901 and 1909
Curious: Proof of the assumed age was found in an old photo between 1882 and 1886, which shows Jonathan grazing in the garden of the then Governor William Grey-Wilson.
The current governor of the island, Nigel Phillips, already paid tribute to Jonathan in November 2022 when he gave the tortoise an official birthday - December 4, 1832. The Guardian newspaper reported on this at the time.
Jonathan the tortoise, at 190, and his caretaker, Joe Hollins, 64, on St. Helena island.
Even for the Seychelles giant tortoise, known for its enormous lifespan, Jonathan has long since reached old age. The average life expectancy is around 150 years.
This means he has easily broken two Guinness World Records:
He is the oldest living land animal and, therefore, the oldest armored animal. Jonathan inherited the title of oldest living land animal in 2021 from the Tu'i Malila radiated tortoise, which lived until 1965 and lived to be at least 188 years old.
Incredible: despite his advanced age, Jonathan still tries to mate with other turtles. And they are much younger than him: Emma (55) and Frederik (32) still have far fewer years on their shells than wild Jonathan. This was also confirmed by vet Joe Hollins, who looks after the tortoises. Although Jonathan is blind due to his cataracts and has lost his sense of smell, he is otherwise in good health and has a strong libido.😘
\ 
Comments