Oldest Land Animal Has Another Trip Around the Sun

Jonathan the giant tortoise turned 191 years old (or so) this week, reaffirming his title as the oldest-living land animal. He’s been living large on St. Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, sharing the grounds with the island governor at Plantation House since the Victorian era. (And the ghost of Napoleon who died here just 51 years of age in 1821). 

The big guy was already about 50 when he was brought from the Seychelles to the island in 1882. The world has changed a lot since then, but Joanthan’s placid existence has been one of idyllic consistency. “He enjoys the sun, but on very hot days takes to the shade,” his long-time vet, Joe Hollins, tells Guinness World Records.

Jonathan is losing his sense of smell and is mostly blind from cataracts, but he still has a healthy appetite. “He is still being hand-fed once a week with a fortifying helping of fruit and vegetables by a small, dedicated team,” says Hollins. “It is extraordinary to think that this gentle giant has outlived every other living creature on land, including of course the whole human race.”

Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa), which has an average life expectancy of 150 years, an age this guy blew past a long time ago. He has some company: three other giant tortoises David and Emma, who arrived on St. Helena as infants in 1969, and Frederik, who joined the group in 1991.

Frederik used to be named Frederika, since he was thought to be a female due to Jonathan’s frequent attempts to mate with him, but he was later discovered to be male. Old Jonathan also occasionally tries to mate with Emma (no word on whether David joins in on the menage a quatre.) “Animals are often not particularly gender-sensitive,” Hollins observes.

Many happy returns, you old playboy.

Photo credit: Guinness World Records