World's Oldest Land Animal Tortoise Jonathan's 191st Birthday, Unfortunately Losing Sense And Cataract

The oldest land animal in Jonathan's tortoise. (Wikimedia Commons/Kevin Gepford)

JAKARTA - The world's oldest land animal, the Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan, celebrated his 191st birthday last December.

It is estimated that Jonathan was born in 1832, first appeared in the world, preceding the discovery of postal stamps, telephones and photos.

He even went through the Civil War in the United States, mostly during the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, to two World Wars, quoted by Euronews Jan. 3.

The giant tortoise tortoise, which has lived on Saint Helena Island since 1882, has even tried to pair it with one of the turtles later discovered to be the same sex, a male.

In St. Helena, she is a national treasure, displayed behind the coins of five local penors. Although her health condition is good, she no longer has smell and has vision problems. He spends his days roaming the grounds of the local governor's house.

"Jonathan is in good health and all the current indications make us hope he will reach the third century, if he hasn't achieved it!", his veterinarian Joe Hobakel told Guinness World Records.

Age is an estimate, based on the fact he was fully mature (and at least 50 years old) when he arrived on the island in 1882 as a gift to Sir William Gray-Wilson, who later became local governor.

"People often ask us Jonathan's birthday date. The answer is we don't know," wrote the St. Helena Island site.

Age is not a barrier to living a complete life and Jonathan the 191-year-old turtle is a clear proof.

Jonathan became very easily offended in the 1980s because of loneliness. He settled after having a relationship with his partner, Frederica, in 1991, but they never had children. 26 years later, the mystery was solved. Frederica turned out to be a man.

Jonathan still has a 'good libido' according to his old veterinarian.

"(He) looks often married to Emma and sometimes Fred, animals are often less gender-sensitive!" said Holoy.

And this honorable old tortoise "does not show any signs of slowing down" in life.

"Despite losing the sense of smell and being almost blind due to cataracts, his appetite remains high," said Holoy, who was always aware of the development of Jonathan's movement.

"He is still fed with his hands once a week with additional fruit and vegetables by a dedicated small team. This not only adds to the calories, but also provides an important driver for his metabolism: vitamins, minerals and tracking elements," he said.

According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan is also the oldest Chelonian, a category that includes all turtles, absorbers, and turtles, quoted by CNN.

The oldest previous Chelonian was Tu'i Malila, a turtle that lived for at least 188 years. Presented to the Tongan royal family by British explorer Captain James Cook around 1777, Tu'i Malila died in 1965.