Which is the oldest living land animal?

Heard of Jonathan, the Seychelles giant tortoise? Aged 188, he is the oldest living land animal in the world. Said to have hatched in 1832, he lives on the island of St. Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean.

His age is estimated because he was ‘fully mature’ when brought to Saint Helena in 1882. ‘Fully mature’ means at least 50 years old, giving him a hatching date no later than 1832. A photograph featuring Jonathan originally thought to date from 1902 actually dates from 1886, showing Jonathan four years after his arrival on Saint Helena. Measurements taken from the photograph show that he was definitely fully mature in 1886.

The all-time verified record holder for the world’s oldest tortoise, according to Guinness World Records, is Tu’i Malila, which died in Tonga in 1966 at the age of 189. Adwaita, an Aldabra giant tortoise that died in 2006 in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata, India, is believed to have lived to the age of 255 years, but this has not been confirmed.

As of December 2015, Jonathan was reported to be “alive and well […] He’s blind from cataracts, has lost his sense of smell, and so cannot detect food (his fellow giants mug me and can detect the tiniest morsel dropped on the ground), but he has retained excellent hearing.” In January 2016, the BBC reported that Jonathan was given a new diet intended to keep him healthy and extend his life. Due to his old age, Jonathan spends his days doing almost everything with his mate, including eating, sleeping, and mating.

Picture Credit : Google

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