In 2022, it has been 190 years since Jonathan, the Seychelles giant tortoise, emerged from his egg in 1832. He is one of the largest species of land tortoise known, males can exceed 200kg for 1.20m in length. Beautiful beasts, therefore, which reach their adult size around 50 years old.
And this is precisely what made it possible to give an age to Jonathan, since he was offered to the governor of the island of Saint Helena in 1882. Since he was already an adult at that time, the calculation was made to the shortest: 1882 – 50 = 1832. Which supposes, that in reality, he is probably more than 190 years old. At least that’s what his appointed veterinarian, Joe Hollins, 64, thinks, when interviewed by the washington post. “It is a symbol of persistence and endurance, he said, since while wars, famines, epidemics, sovereigns succeeded each other, nations were born and disappeared, he lived his life, quietly, totally unaware of the passage of time.”
When Jonathan the giant tortoise was born, Queen Victoria was just a teenager.
While the British monarch died more than 120 years ago aged 81, Jonathan is still shuffling around planet Earth https://t.co/4gmSI2iuFc
— CNN (@CNN) January 29, 2022
The fact of being in Saint Helena, a small island lost in the middle of the South Atlantic, protected him well. Including the worst: ie being eaten. Ten years ago, the animal had a deficiency in vitamins and minerals, explains Joe Hollins, but he came back and is doing very well. Admittedly, he no longer sees and his sense of smell fails him, but he hears very well and eats everything that is given to him by hand, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, apples, and bananas.
He also has three sidekicks of the same species that he frolics with regularly. A simple daily routine that led him to exceed the classic giant tortoise life expectancy of 150 years, but also to do better than the previous dean who disappeared at 188 years old.
This year it has therefore won the record for the oldest living land animal. “Terrestrial” because some sharks would live even longer without any individual being able to be followed over the very long term.
Still, this longevity record is fascinating: just see how much this information has been shared around the world in recent days. No doubt because it confronts the dizziness of passing time, the long list of everything that has happened in Jonathan’s life, and everything that will happen next, since he could well reach 200 year.