🐢 Meet 190-year-old Jonathan who has lived through TWO World Wars and 25 US presidents (making this tortoise the oldest known living land animal on Earth)
Jonathan the Seychelles Giant Tortoise will enjoy a three-day birthday party.
He has lived on St…
🐢 Meet 190-year-old Jonathan who has lived through TWO World Wars and 25 US presidents (making this tortoise the oldest known living land animal on Earth)
Jonathan the Seychelles Giant Tortoise will enjoy a three-day birthday party.
He has lived on St Helena's island in South Atlantic Ocean since 1882.
The world's oldest tortoise has turned 190 years old - and will celebrate for three days to mark his milestone.
Jonathan the Seychelles Giant Tortoise who has lived on St Helena's island in the South Atlantic Ocean since 1882, has officially been named the oldest tortoise in the world.
He hatched in the Georgian era and is the oldest known living land animal on Earth and the oldest chelonian ever recorded.
Jonathan's age is estimated but shell measurements documented from a photograph taken shortly after his arrival to St Helena show he was fully mature and at least 50 years old when he arrived from Seychelles.
Joe Hollins has helped look after Jonathan since he became St Helena's vet.
Retired vet, Mr Hollins, said: 'When you think, if he was hatched in 1832 - the Georgian era - my goodness, the changes in the world.
'The world wars, the rise and fall of the British Empire, the many governors, kings and queens that have passed, it's quite extraordinary.
'And he's just been here, enjoying himself.'
At the start of 2022 Jonathan achieved the Guinness World Records title for the world's oldest living land animal and this month, he has also been named as the oldest tortoise ever.
Jonathan has spent the majority of his life on the British Overseas Territory, one of the world's most remote islands.
He lives in the grounds of Plantation House alongside three much younger tortoises David, Emma and Fred.
