Africa-Press – Seychelles. At 192 years old, Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise has seen a lot. Jonathan was born during the reign of Queen Victoria and has lived through 40 American presidencies. Teeny Lucy has been Jonathan’s official caretaker on the island of St. Helena for more than a decade. She says Jonathan knows the sound of her voice and her footsteps. Seychelles giant tortoises have an average life expectancy of 150 years, but Jonathan is ahead of the curve.
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.[8] A photograph featuring Jonathan originally thought to date from 1902 actually dates from 1886,[2] 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 had recognised as the oldest recorded ever, Tu’i Malila, who 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.
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