On the island of St. Helena, a tortoise named Jonathan celebrated its 191st birthday. Although Jonathan’s actual age is unclear, Guinness World Records stated that he was at least 50-years-old when he was transported from the Seychelles to the island in 1882. Jonathan has outlived the 150-year average life expectancy of his species.
Joe Hollins, long-time vet of Jonathan, told GWR that the mammal shows no signs of slowing down.
“In spite of losing his sense of smell and being virtually blind from cataracts, his appetite remains keen. He is still being hand-fed once a week with a fortifying helping of fruit and vegetables by a small, dedicated team. This not only supplements his calories but provides those essential drivers of his metabolism: vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. It is extraordinary to think that this gentle giant has outlived every other living creature on land, including of course the whole human race,” Hollins said to GWR.
GWR also took to Instagram to post about Jonathan. In the caption of the post, they wrote, “Oldest living land animal, Jonathan the tortoise is 191 years old.”
Watch the video here:
This post was shared a few hours ago on Instagram. Since being posted, it has more than four lakh views. The share also has over 25,000 likes and numerous comments.
Check out what people are saying about the video here:
An individual wrote, “Happy birthday Jonathan.”
A second commented, “He could live more years, even longer if the environment is still the same.”
“Wow, that’s crazy!” posted a third.
A fourth shared, “Just wow, that’s massive!”