Skip to main content

Jonathan the tortoise celebrates 190th birthday, oldest living land animal

Jonathan the tortoise arrived on the Island of Saint Helena in 1882 at the alleged age of 50 and has lived on the governor's plantation house ever since.

Jonathan the tortoise celebrated his 190th birthday as he extends his run as the longest-living land animal in the world. 

Jonathan first arrived in his current home of the island of Saint Helena in the South Pacific in 1882 as a gift to the governor of the island, which was a British territory. At that time, he was thought to already be 50 years old.

Now notching 190 years on Earth, Jonathan is 48 inches long, the same size as when he arrived at the island. His species of tortoise reaches full maturity by 50, providing the best estimate for his age, even though some naturalists believe he could be even older. 

Despite his long life, he only gained international attention in 2008 when The Independent reported on his then-remarkable age of 176.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPOTLIGHTS EXTRAORDINARY PHOTOGRAPHY AS ‘PICTURES OF THE YEAR’: HERE ARE 10 GREAT SHOTS

Locals speculated as to why Jonathan has lived so long, exceeding the expected life of his breed, the Seychelles Giant tortoise, which is 150 years old. 

Jonathan was five years old when Queen Victoria – Britain’s second-longest reigning monarch – took the throne, and he outlived both World Wars. He is older than the first photograph and has lived through the administrations of 39 U.S. presidents. 

4 LION CUBS THAT WERE ORPHANED DURING WAR IN UKRAINE ARRIVE AT MINNESOTA ANIMAL SANCTUARY

Locals organized a number of events to celebrate Jonathan’s birthday, culminating in a three-day celebration. 

Estimated to have been born in 1832, Jonathan has lived most of his life at the governor’s plantation house, according to the island’s website, which adds that Jonathan could arguably serve as a national symbol for the island. Jonathan’s image even adorns the backside of a St. Helena 5 pence coin. 

BIDEN ADMIN. NAMES NEVADA TOAD ENDANGERED, HAMPERING CONSTRUCTION OF GEOTHERMAL PLANT

Scientists have even studied Jonathan to determine what health benefits they might glean from his diet and his cells. Because his cells do not mutate the same way the cells of humans do, scientists hope he could reveal some secret to fighting cancer in humans. 

Jonathan shares his home with three other tortoises: Emma, a 54-year-old female; David, a 54-year-old male; and Fredrika, formerly Fredrik, a 31-year-old tortoise originally thought to be male but now thought to be female. The first two arrived in 1969, and Frederika arrived in 1991. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Jonathan last year surpassed the previous record-holder for oldest living land animal, a Madagascar tortoise named Tu’I Malila, who was gifted to the Tonga royal family in 1777 and died in 1965 at the age of 188 years old, according to Smithsonian magazine.

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.