The world’s oldest living land animal celebrated his 190th birthday recently! Jonathan, a giant tortoise celebrated on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena. He is believed to have hatched around 1832.
As a mature tortoise, he was sent as a gift to governor Sir William Grey-Wilson in 1882, per the Guardian and Smithsonian.
The exact date of Jonathan’s birthday is unknown, but it is estimated that he was fully mature when he arrived on the island, which would put him around 50 years old. Last month, Gov. Nigel Phillips gave Jonathan the official birthdate of December 4, 1832.
Jonathan is somewhat of a local celebrity and is pictured on the back of the St. Helena’s 5-pence coin. There was also an animated movie made of his life. It is quite a milestone!