The giant tortoise Jonathan is estimated to have been born in 1832 , which means he will be, or will be, 190 years old in 2022 , the Guinness World Records committee has announced.
It is possible that the name of this turtle sounds familiar to you, not in vain, Jonathan had already been named the “oldest living animal in the world”.
It is the oldest turtle ever recorded
It is a Seychellois giant tortoise ( Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa ), which dethrones Tu’i Malila , a Madagascar radiated tortoise or star tortoise ( Astrochelys radiata ) who died at 188 in 1965.
“He is a local icon, a symbol of persistence in the face of change,” his veterinarian Joe Hollins said in a press release.
Jonathan lives on St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. He has had neither sight nor smell for years, but he continues to move freely around the grounds of the St. Helena Governor’s residence, where he lives with his fellow giant tortoises David, Emma and Fred. Because she is blind, she is hand-fed once a week to make sure she gets enough calories. Jonathan spends his time eating, sleeping, and mating.
“Despite his age, Jonathan still has a good libido and is frequently seen mating with Emma and sometimes Fred. Animals are often not particularly gender sensitive!” Hollins continues.
As a curiosity, Jonathan was “about to meet” Napoleon, who was exiled to Saint Helena after the British defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon was held on this same island where Jonathan lives until his death in 1821, just 11 years before the tortoise was born.
How is it possible that he lives so long?
Biologists are not sure about it. Perhaps it’s due to apoptosis, a process that allows them to rapidly remove damaged cells from their body and may protect against cell damage as we age.
