Photo of Jonathan tortoise at 185 years old. Photo: CNN
This animal belongs to the giant Seychelles tortoise. It lived most of its life in the house of the governor of the island of St. Helena. Now, locals are celebrating its 190th birthday by opening the governor’s house to visitors for three days.
Officials on the island of St. Helena – a British overseas territory – has also deployed a set of stamps commemorating the historical milestone of the tortoise Jonathan.
Although there is no official record of the turtle’s birth date, it is believed that Jonathan was born around 1832 in the Seychelles island nation. In 1882, it was brought to St. Helena as a gift to Mr. William Grey-Wilson – who later became governor of the island.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Jonathan is also the oldest living tortoise ever among all freshwater and tortoises in the world.
The previous record was held by the Tu’i Malila tortoise, which was radioactive and lived for at least 188 years. Tu’i Malila was a gift from the British explorer James Cook to the royal family of Tonga around 1777. It died in 1965.
In St. Helena, Jonathan is a famous creature. This old tortoise now lives with three other giant tortoises, David, Emma and Fred. (Watch video of Jonathan’s life in 2017. Source: AFP)
World’s longest living terrestrial animal celebrates its 190th birthday
Although old age has caused Jonathan to go blind and lose his sense of smell, his hearing is still excellent. According to the Guinness World Records, it still responds well to the veterinarian’s voice.
Jonathan’s personal veterinarian said the animal was still full of energy. On mild weather days, it will sunbathe. The long neck and legs extend completely out of the shell to absorb heat and transfer it into the body.”
When the weather is colder, it prefers to hide in a pile of leaves or grass all day. In particular, despite his age, Jonathan still often mates with turtles around.