World’s oldest land animal, a tortoise, turns 190. His secret? ‘Not caring,’ vet says
While world wars raged, empires rose and fell, and the world as we know it began to take form, a creature on a remote island unknowingly lived through it all.
Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, believed to have hatched in 1832, just turned 190, making him the world’s oldest living land animal, according to Guinness World Records, which certified his rarefied status. He predates telegraphs, the internal combustion engine and the death of Abraham Lincoln.
“He’s doing fabulously,” Joe Hollins, his veterinarian in St. Helena, said in a Dec. 2 video as he stroked Jonathan’s leathery neck. The island, a British territory in the South Atlantic Occean, just played host to a three-day birthday celebration for its longest-standing occupant — Jonathan first arrived in 1882.
Seeing as he was not issued a birth certificate, historical documentation has been used to determine his age, according to Hollins.
“The governor of 1890 wrote a letter saying that he was landed in 1882 fully grown,” he said. “And fully grown is about 50 years of age.”
A photograph taken between 1882 and 1886 further provided evidence for the tortoise’s age. It depicted Jonathan fully grown and grazing on a patch of grass, and the backside included his dimensions, which remain about the same today, Hollins said.
“In all likelihood, he is even older than we think,” according to Guinness World Records.
He has lived out the majority of his life at the residence of the island’s governor, according to the St. Helena Tourism website. He’s watched over 30 governors come and go throughout the course of his time there.
Though blind and unable to smell, Jonathan still enjoys the dolce vita, regularly mating, eating and sunbathing, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
“In spite of his age, Jonathan still has good libido and is seen frequently to mate with Emma and sometimes Fred – animals are often not particularly gender-sensitive,” Hollins told Guinness World Records.
Cabbage, carrots and bananas are some of his favorite snacks, according to Guinness World Records.
“I think the secret is just (being) completely chilled and relaxed and not caring about what’s happening in the world,” Hollins said. “He’s just been here enjoying himself.”
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