What land animal is the oldest and currently still alive? The answer to this oldest animal is Jonathan the tortoise. By now, he had also become the most advanced tortoise.
This large Seychelles tortoise, with the scientific name Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa, previously held the Guinness World Record as the oldest land animal. Now, he is also the oldest tortoise, beating the previous record holder, the Tu'i Malila tortoise, who died at the age of 188.
As quoted by us from Live Science, Saturday (29/1/2022) Jonathan is estimated to have been born in 1832, so he is now 190 years old. Jonathan was born before Queen Victoria ruled England in 1837.
Currently, Jonathan lives peacefully on St Helena, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. "He is a local icon, a symbol of persistence in the face of change," said Jonathan's nurse, Joe Hollins.
Jonathan arrived in St Helena in 1882 at the age of 50. In recent years, this oldest animal is still healthy, but is blind and cannot smell.
But he still has a good appetite and still enjoys walking among the grass, with his fellow turtles, David, Emma and Fred. His favorite foods are cabbage, cucumber and carrots.
Jonathan's other hobbies besides ruminating are sleeping and mating. "Despite his old age, Jonathan's libido is still good and he still marries a lot," says Hollins.
Scientists don't yet fully understand why turtles can live so long. Large tortoises like Jonathan can quickly kill damaged cells, possibly protecting them from these cells, which normally decline as we age. Be Jonathan as the oldest living animal in the world.