Meet Jonathan: The 194-year-old tortoise who is the oldest living land animal

• Jonathan is a 194-year-old Seychelles giant tortoise living on the remote island of Saint Helena.

• Recognised by Guinness World Records, he is officially the oldest living land animal in recorded history.

• Despite being blind and lacking a sense of smell, he remains active, enjoys a specialised daily diet, and loves to sunbathe.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to look at a living creature that breathed the same air as Charles Darwin, lived through the abolition of slavery, and was already middle-aged when the lightbulb was invented?

Well, that is Jonathan — a giant tortoise who has quietly outlived generations, empires, inventions, and even entire eras.

At an astonishing estimated age of 194 years, Jonathan is recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest living land animal on Earth and the oldest chelonian (turtle or tortoise) ever recorded.

Despite his staggering age, he is still alive today, living a peaceful life on a remote island in the South Atlantic.

Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa), originally brought from the Seychelles to Saint Helena in 1882 as a gift to the island's governor.

Because birth certificates for reptiles weren’t exactly common in the early 19th century, Jonathan’s exact hatching date is unrecorded. 

However, at the time of his arrival in 1882, archival photographs and shell measurements proved he was already a fully mature adult.

Since giant tortoises take about 50 years to reach full maturity, scientists conservatively estimate their birth year to be around 1832. 

In 2022, the Governor of Saint Helena officially granted him a symbolic birthday: December 4, 1832.

He currently lives on the lush, manicured lawns of Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor of Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory famous for being the final place of Napoleon Bonaparte's exile. 

According to historical records tracked by Britannica, he has outlived generations of humans on the island and has seen 31 different governors pass through Plantation House. 

He is so much a part of the local culture that he even features on the reverse side of Saint Helena's local five-pence coin!

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If Jonathan’s birth year is accurate, he has witnessed more human history than almost any living creature on Earth. 

To put his 194-year lifespan into perspective, he was already alive before:

• The American Civil War

• The invention of the telephone

• The commercial lightbulb

• The very first photograph of a U.S. president

Over his historic lifetime, he has also lived through 8 British Monarchs (he was five years old when Queen Victoria took the throne), 40 U.S. Presidents, and the entire rise and fall of the Soviet Union. 

While humanity rushed through the industrial and digital revolutions, Jonathan just kept slowly, steadily grazing.

You might think a creature nearing his third century would be completely inactive, but Jonathan still has plenty of spice left in him.

According to his long-time primary veterinarian, Joe Hollins, Jonathan’s day-to-day life is incredibly relaxed. 

On warm, sunny days, he loves to sunbathe—stretching his long neck and legs entirely out of his shell to absorb the heat. 

On cooler winter days, he uses his sharp instincts to burrow deep into piles of grass clippings or leaf mould to stay warm.

A few years ago, Jonathan’s health took a downturn. His beak became soft and crumbly due to a lack of nutrients, making it hard for him to clip grass. 

To save him, a dedicated care team started hand-feeding him a high-calorie, vitamin-rich booster meal once a week.

Today, Jonathan feasts on a gourmet menu of cabbage, lettuce hearts, cucumbers, carrots, apples, pears, and bananas (his absolute favourite). 

While the effects of ageing have left Jonathan virtually blind from cataracts and devoid of a sense of smell, his hearing remains pitch-perfect. He responds beautifully to the sound of his caretakers' voices.

Remarkably, old age hasn’t dampened Jonathan's romantic spirit. He shares his paddock with three other giant tortoises: David, Emma, and Frederik.

Veterinarians report that Jonathan still possesses a surprisingly active libido and frequently mates with his companions. 

However, as noted in a recent feature by The Times of India, one of the biggest mysteries of Jonathan's life is his ancestry; because historical records of his pairings were never kept, it remains scientifically impossible to know exactly how many offspring he has fathered over the last two centuries.

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Because of his global fame, Jonathan frequently becomes the target of internet death hoaxes. 

An elaborate online scam surfaced falsely claiming that the beloved tortoise had passed away, even using a fake account in his vet's name to solicit cryptocurrency donations.

The Saint Helena Government quickly issued an official statement to reassure the world that the rumours were entirely untrue. 

Jonathan is alive, well, and continuing his daily routine under the watchful care of his handlers.

Jonathan is a record-breaker and a scientific marvel. 

He has far surpassed the average 150-year life expectancy of his species. 

Biologists study exceptionally long-lived animals like Jonathan to unlock the mysteries of ageing, cellular repair, and evolutionary endurance.

For those lucky enough to make the journey to the remote island of Saint Helena, catching a glimpse of Jonathan is a rare, humbling chance to stand face-to-face with living history.

• Species: Seychelles Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa)

• Estimated Birth Year: c. 1832

• Current Age (2026): 194 years old

• Location: Plantation House, Saint Helena Island

• Titles: Oldest Living Land Animal, Oldest Chelonian (turtle/tortoise) ever recorded in history, Guinness World Records Icon.