World's oldest tortoise celebrates his 190th birthday
According to sources, he may be much, much older than that...
Jonathan is said to be the oldest tortoise in the world and recently celebrated 190 years on this planet.
He was first "brought to St. Helena, a British overseas territory, from the Seychelles in 1882 as a gift to then-governor William Grey-Wilson. Jonathan's exact date of birth is unknown, but by 1882 he had already reached maturity, which usually happens for Seychelles giant tortoises at about 50." (CBC.CA)
Jonathan's birthday was celebrated on the 2nd and 3rd of December.
And his day was filled with "cake and fresh vegetables being served to mark the Tortoise’s title as the oldest known animal alive." (MSN)
The old lad had a relationship with Frederica (a female tortoise) for 26 years, which was publicly known, but they did not share any offspring.
"Frederica’s relationship with Jonathan was quite puzzling to veterinarians at the time but it was later revealed that Frederica was actually Frederic, which would explain why the couple was never able to produce any baby tortoises." (MSN)
At present, Jonathan holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest chelonian (a category that includes tortoises, turtles, and terrapins) ever recorded.
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According to the Guinness World Records, Jonathan may well be way older than 190 years.
Considering that he was in fact fully mature when he arrived in St. Helena in 1882, experts estimate that he was around 50 years at the time of this arrival.
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