The oldest turtle Where does the world's oldest turtle live?
Mother Nature surprises us all the time. Most surprising of all are the facts of the longevity of creatures. Turtles are among the ten most ancient creatures living on land. They have inhabited the planet for 220 million years. There are also long-lived turtles among them, whose age has exceeded far over a hundred years.
There are amazing animals on Earth, whose age is simply amazing. But not all long-livers records have been documented.
There is information that sheds light on how old the oldest tortoise is: Samira, who lived a little over three centuries. Although such a statement is debatable, since it has not been documented.
Here is a list of the longest living turtles in the world:
| Name | View | Age (in years) |
| Samira | Galapagos | 270-315 |
| Advaita | Seychelles | 150-255 |
| Tui Malila | Madagascar radiant | 189-192 |
| Jonathan | Seychelles | 183 |
| Harriet | ivory | 175 |
| Timothy | mediterranean | 160 |
| Kiki | gigantic | 146 |
Of all those listed, only Jonathan, the giant Seychellois tortoise, is alive today.
Samira
This oldest tortoise in the world ended its life in Egypt (Cairo) at a very respectable age. According to some data, at that moment she was 270 years old, according to others - all 315. In recent years, this old animal has already ceased to move independently.
In 1891, the reptile was presented to the zoo by King Farouk, the last monarch of Egypt.
Advaita
Lord Robert Clive, before his departure for India, was presented in 1767 by British soldiers returning from the Seychelles with this exotic animal.
The reptile first lived in the garden of the lord's house. Then, after his death in 1875, she was taken to the Alipore Zoological Garden in the city of Calcutta. But there was no evidence that it was Advaita that the soldiers presented to the lord.
The animal died in 2006. It is assumed that she lived a little over a quarter of a millennium - 255 years. To prove this fact, it was decided to keep her shell. Zookeepers plan to determine the exact age of the reptile with the help of an examination.
Tui Malila
The age that this long-lived turtle has reached is a Guinness record. Although in this case, the exact age of the reptile could not be established.
According to undocumented information, in 1773 it was presented as a gift to the native leader by Captain Cook himself. Tui Malila ended up on the island of Tonga.
The preserved body of Tui Malila is currently on display at the Tongan National Center on Tongatapu. Assuming it was a one-year-old turtle, it would have been 192 years old at the time of its death in 1966. But there is information that the animal leader received a little later. Then the record holder lived to be 189 years old.
Lately, Malila has completely stopped moving and can no longer see anything. She ate only what was put directly to her mouth. The patterns on the shell darkened, it became almost one-color - almost black.
Jonathan
From the Seychelles, this giant tortoise was transported in company with three others in 1882 and presented to the Governor of Saint Helena. The animals were at that time about half a century old.
This conclusion was made because of the rather large size of their shells. The evidence is a photo taken around 1886-1900, in which Jonathan is photographed with two men. The picture clearly shows that the reptile is quite large, its shell resembles a small table in size. Because of this, they decided that the turtle was half a century old at the time of the move.
Jonathan the Seychellois giant tortoise In 1930, the then governor of the island, Spencer Davis, decided to name the almost hundred-year-old male. So the oldest of all living beings on the planet still lives in the official residence of the governor of the island.
In 2019, Jonathan will celebrate his 183rd birthday. He is still quite cheerful and active, although sometimes he shows senile intolerance. It happens that a long-liver, who considers himself the full-fledged owner of the territory of the Plantation House, will turn over all the benches in the yard, snort at people involved in work on the site and caring for the old-timer.
The image of Jonathan flaunts on the fivepenny coins of Saint Helena. He is a frequent hero of TV shows and magazine articles.
Harriet (Harietta)
Thirteen years ago (in 2006), at the age of 176, this centenarian died of a heart attack at the Australian Zoo. She was born presumably in 1830 on one of the islands of the Galapagos archipelago.
In the company of two more individuals of the same species. The turtles were about five years old. This was determined by the size of their shells - they were no more than a plate. Mistakenly, the future centenarian was mistaken for a male and named Harry.
Turtle C. Darwin - Harriet In 1841-1952. reptiles lived in Australia in the Brisbane City Botanical Garden. Then the then Harry was transported to a conservation area on the coast of the country. Where the other two turtles went is unknown.
While we are looking for the secrets of longevity, there are creatures on our planet that live for more than a hundred years. And there are even immortals.
1. George, a huge lobster that weighs about 9.1 kg. George is approximately 140 years old. In 2008, he was caught off the coast of Newfoundland, then sold for $ 100 to a restaurant in New York. However, in 2009, under the influence of the Society for the Protection of Animals, he was released back into the ocean.
2. Tuatara Henry, who lives at the Southland Museum, New Zealand, recently celebrated his 115th birthday. Just imagine that Henry was born back in the 19th century.
Despite his advanced age, in 2009 Henry became a father.
3. Guidaki is a species of marine mollusks considered to be the largest burrowing molluscs. In addition, guidaki are also long-lived: their average life expectancy is 146 years, and the age of the oldest individual found today is 168 years.
4. This is Jonathan, 182-year-old St. Helena giant tortoise. "He is practically blind, has lost his sense of smell, but he still has good hearing," says a local veterinarian. At 182, Jonathan may be the oldest living creature on the planet.
This is Jonathan in the 1900s
This is Jonathan now.
5. Greeter is an 83-year-old flamingo who until recently lived at the Adelaide Zoo. Greeter came to the zoo in the 1930s, but was unfortunately euthanized in 2014 when his condition deteriorated.
6. In the cold dark water at a depth of 600 meters, time flows slowly. Hoplostet are a species of deep-sea fish known for reaching sexual maturity by the age of 20 and can live up to 150 years. The oldest hoplostet was born in the year when serfdom was abolished in Russia.
7. Red sea urchins live an average of about 200 years and live in shallow waters off the western coast of America. Red hedgehogs attracted particular attention of scientists after a mark dated 1805 was found on one of them.
8. Cockatoo Cookie turned 80 last year. He was caught in Australia in 1933 and shipped to the US, where he lives in the Brookfield Zoo.
9. A clam named Min, caught on the Icelandic shelf, according to the first assumptions, lived for 400 years. When re-analyzed, scientists determined its age at around 507 years.
10. Bowhead whales can live up to 200 years. The average lifespan of this species is about 40 years. However, some individuals can live up to 211 years, which is a record among vertebrates.
11. 103-year-old Granny, the oldest known killer whale, is the matriarch of the killer whale community. She was born the same year as Ronald Reagan.
12. Advaita - a giant 250-year-old turtle from the island of Aldabra. Unfortunately, Advaita died in 2006. It was very popular with tourists and attracted many visitors to the Calcutta City Zoo.
13. Turtles are famous centenarians. This is 176-year-old Hariette from the zoo in Queensland (Australia). It is believed that Charles Darwin personally found Gariette in 1835 on one of the Galapagos Islands. Hariette died in the same 2006.
The world's oldest turtle lived in Australia. Why did she live? She passed away not too long ago. Everything comes to an end sometime. In this article, we will tell you about the life of this famous turtle, as well as its possible "successor". The world should know its heroes, as they say, by sight!
Contemporary of Charles Darwin
Once upon a time in the Australian Zoo lived a real contemporary of the famous naturalist named Charles Darwin, who is known for discovering the theory of evolution, a turtle nicknamed Harriet was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a creature that lived in captivity for 175 years! Just think about it: in captivity! It is hard to imagine how many owners it has changed, the very first of which was none other than the founder of the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin!
Life story...
Birthday
On October 11, 2005, this giant elephant and also the world's oldest tortoise celebrated its 175th birthday. Harriet was born in the time of Queen Victoria, when she was still a child, namely in 1830. Surprisingly, for the first 124 years of life, this turtle was mistaken for a male.
Who is the owner?
Interestingly, British paleontologists, who carried out a very thorough reconstruction of the past of the turtle, believe that it was not Darwin who caught it, but ordinary whalers as a source of food. In addition, the hypothesis that the oldest tortoise in the world belonged to Darwin is based only on the fact that the scientist caught four giant individuals during his trip to the Galapagos Islands (1835). Allegedly, Harriet was one of them.
Soon two of the four turtles died, the remaining two were transported by ship to Australia by one of Charles Darwin's friends. Further DNA analysis showed that Harriet most likely comes from an island called Santa Cruz.
Guilty without guilt
The oldest turtle has been the main attraction of the Queensland Zoo for the past 30 years! A study of her DNA indicates that she is at least 170 years old in any case. Today, scientists believe that about 12 of its relatives, giant elephant tortoises, are left on our planet. Moreover, zoologists blame Harriet for the small population! They claim that until the end of his life, the oldest turtle in the world retained the ability to reproduce offspring: she still ovulated, but there was no "groom" ...
Quiet and humble
According to the keepers of the zoo premises in which this turtle lived, its favorite food was hibiscus flowers. In addition, she ate eggplant, zucchini, parsley and beans and led a very modest lifestyle.
Harriet died in 2005 in the Galapagos Islands. She was 175 years old.
Continuation of the dynasty
According to unofficial data, valid as of October 2011, the oldest tortoise in the world is considered to be a certain male Jonathan, who lives on the island of St. Helena. Today he is supposedly 180 years old. However, this is not accurate information, because analysis of Jonathan's DNA by world scientists cannot give us exact numbers.
It is said that Jonathan still finds the strength to mate with three females. Interestingly, this turtle is a contemporary of 8 monarchs of Great Britain and its 50 prime ministers!
This is Jonathan, he is 184 years old (photo: earthphotos.com)
Meet this, whose name is Jonathan (Jonathan). She recently turned 184 years old, which is why she is considered the oldest land animal known in the whole world. Jonathan lives on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. He is extremely famous in his homeland and, one might say, is an integral part of the local community. Therefore home to the oldest turtle in the world serves as Plantation House, the official residence of the governor.
The age of this giant tortoise is documented, and there are even photographs of it from a hundred years ago! For example, here is a photograph of Jonathan taken on St. Helena back in 1902. Nearby, for comparison, posted his photo of 2015:
(photo: imgur) Jonathan lost his sight due to cataracts, he also can no longer smell, but otherwise feels quite normal. His health is monitored by a local veterinarian, Dr. Joe Hollins. Interesting fact: the oldest turtle has never washed, so it can also be considered the dirtiest animal in the world. Therefore, Dr. Hollins organized Jonathan's first bath in his life, washing off all the dirt that had accumulated on it for almost 200 years from the turtle.
How was she bathed?
Some photos of almost two hundred years old Jonathan:
(photo: British Veterinary Association) 
(photo: JOEHOLLINS/BNPS) 
(photo: JOEHOLLINS/BNPS) 
(photo: Guy Gatien)