Love that he also types like an old man
His name is spelled Jonathan.
His birthday is September 4.
His age was estimated at the time he was found in 1882. This species matures at around 50 years old and he was past that age, so he might be older than 189 but we will never know.
He lives on a South Atlantic island, Saint Helena (aka the place Napoleon Bonaparte lived until his death in 1815) where he’s well taken care of by the governor of the island. According to his vet, he likes listening to tennis.
The average lifespan for his species is 150, but he’s super healthy aside from cataracts in both eyes and possible loss of smell.
Jonathan has a mate, Fred, who until recently was thought to be female. Fred is male.
His species (which is a subspecies of Aldabra giant Tortoise) are on the endangered list with only about 80 recorded worldwide. However, many giant Tortoises currently hold the record for longest living land animals with a few others’ ages ranging between 175-250 years. So Jonathan still has a while to go!
Here’s Jonathan (on the left) in 1882 upon his arrival to the island:
(photo courtesy of Guinness World Records)
Jonathan has lived through both world wars, the Russian Revolution, 39 U.S. presidents, 7 British monarchs, the creation of the typewriter, the completion of the Eiffel Tower, the coronation of Queen Victoria, the release of the first postage stamp, the building of the first skyscraper, the first photograph of a person, the first lightbulb, and the first powered flight.
I have had the honor of working with several Aldabra tortoises over the years, including two (hopefully) breeding pairs currently. They are incredible animals. They are the second largest species of tortoise in the world and they can float!
