The Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan turned 190 years in 2022. Amazing, isn’t it?! He’s already the oldest living land animal and the recent milestone is also another Guinness World Record for him.
He became the oldest chelonian ever; this category includes tortoises, turtles, and terrapins. This supercentenarian is living out his golden years on St. Helena island as a distinguished creature like him deserves.
Jonathan Has Outlasted 32 Governors
Though his exact year of birth isn’t known, he was at least 50 when he came to the current island from his native Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
He was part of a movie in 1886 when he was already fully mature. This pinpoints his year of birth to be 1832 or even earlier. Most of his life has been spent on St. Helena on the governor’s residence.
He’s outlasted 32 governors.
In his lifetime, Jonathan has been through very important milestones. He was a young tortoise when the first photo of a person was taken. He came fully mature at St. Helena before the Eiffel Tower was unveiled.
This giant tortoise is older than phones, electricity, and cars. Although its lifespan is amazing, it’s not uncommon among tortoises to live more than 100 years. The previous record for the longest-lived chelonian was held by a radiated tortoise named Tu’i Malila.
He was gifted to the royalty of Tonga by Captain Cook, but he passed away in 1965 when he was 188.
Age Has Started to Affect Him, but He Is still Going Strong
On the other hand, Jonathan is going strong despite his smell and sight not being as potent as they once were. He loves basking in the sunlight and also lays on snug leaf piles when the temperatures go down.
His three giant tortoise friends (and lovers) keep him company and they’re named Emma, Fred, and David. He’s fed once per week and his all-time favorite snacks are cucumbers, carrots, apples, and cabbages. Dr. Joe Hollins is his vet and he associates him with tasty treats.
Congrats Jonathan on your exceptional life, birthday, and newest record!
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