Jonathan (tortoise) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Jonathan (hatched ) is a
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.
In 2022, Jonathan's estimated age exceeded that of the tortoise that ''
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.
The sex of Frederica, one of two of his favourite tortoises thought to be female (the other being Emily), as well as his companion since 1991, was cast into doubt in 2017 when island veterinarian Catherine Man indicated that due to a deformity of its plastron its sex could not be verified. While Frederica was undergoing the examination, Jonathan came over and did not leave the side of Frederica and the veterinarian during the entire process.
To mark Jonathan's supposed 190th birthday in February 2022, island officials planned to make a series of commemorative stamps and visitors received a certificate featuring a photograph of his first known footprint.
On December 4, 2022, Jonathan the tortoise turned 190 years old. Local residents arranged three days of Jonathan's birthday celebration, presenting a cake made entirely from his favorite healthy foods.
Seychelles giant tortoise
The Seychelles giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa''), also known as the Seychelles domed giant tortoise, is a tortoise subspecies in the genus ''Aldabrachelys''.
It inhabited the large central granitic Seychelles islands, but w ...
(''Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa''), a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise
The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world.Pritch ...
(''Aldabrachelys gigantea''); he is the oldest known living land animal. Jonathan resides on the island of Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
, a British Overseas Territory
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
in the South Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
.
History
Jonathan, hatched , was brought to Saint Helena from theSeychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...
in the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
in 1882, along with three other tortoises at about 50 years of age. He was named in the 1930s by Governor of Saint Helena
The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the official advice of His Majesty ...
Sir Spencer Davis and has lived through 31 governors' terms. He continues to live on the grounds of Plantation House
A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...
, the official residence of the governor; he is cared for by the government of Saint Helena.
Age
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.
In 2022, Jonathan's estimated age exceeded that of the tortoise that ''Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' had recognised as the oldest recorded ever, Tu'i Malila
Tu'i Malila (1777 – 16 May 1966) was a tortoise that Captain James Cook was traditionally said to have given to the royal family of Tonga. She was a female radiated tortoise (''Astrochelys radiata'') from Madagascar. Although believed to have ...
, who died in Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
in 1966 at the age of 189. Adwaita
Adwaita (meaning "one and only" in Sanskrit) (c. 1750 – 22 March 2006), also spelled Addwaita, was a male Aldabra giant tortoise that lived in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata, India. At the time of his death in 2006, Adwaita was b ...
, an Aldabra giant tortoise that died in 2006 in the Alipore Zoological Gardens
The Zoological Garden, Alipore (also informally called the Alipore Zoo or Kolkata Zoo) is India's oldest formally stated zoological park (as opposed to royal and British menageries) and a big tourist attraction in Kolkata, West Bengal. It has b ...
of Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, India, is believed to have lived to the age of 255 years, but this has not been confirmed.
In media
In February 2014, as part of theQueen's Baton Relay
The Queen's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingh ...
ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the baton visited Saint Helena and Governor Mark Capes, whilst holding the baton, posed for a photo alongside Jonathan in the grounds of Plantation House.
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
featured Jonathan in an episode of ''From Our Own Correspondent
''From Our Own Correspondent'' is a weekly BBC radio programme in which BBC foreign correspondents deliver a sequence of short talks reflecting on current events and topical themes in the countries outside the UK in which they are based. The pro ...
'' in March 2014 after ocean rower
Ocean rowing is the sport of rowing across oceans. Some ocean rowing boats can hold as many as fourteen rowers; however, the most common ocean rowboats are designed for singles, doubles, and fours.
The history of ocean rowing is divided into two ...
Sally Kettle visited Saint Helena.
The Saint Helena five-pence coin has Jonathan on its reverse.
Since 2015
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, theBBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...See also
*Harriet (tortoise)
Harriet (formerly Harry; – 23 June 2006) was a Galápagos tortoise (''Chelonoidis niger'', specifically a western Santa Cruz tortoise ''C. n. porteri'') who had an estimated age of 175 years at the time of her death in Australia. Harriet is ...
*List of longest-living organisms
This is a list of the longest-living biological organisms: the individual(s) (or in some instances, clones) of a species with the longest natural maximum lifespans. For a given species, such a designation may include:
# The oldest known individ ...
References
External links
{{Named turtles Aldabrachelys 1832 animal births Individual tortoises Animal mascots Saint Helena Oldest animals