Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise born nearly 200 years ago, has been recognised as a Guinness World Records ICON because of his age: he is believed to have been born around 1832, making him at least 194 years old, the is the oldest-known terrestrial animal.
'Jono' lives in the Plantation House mansion on the island of St. Helena, a British Overseas territory in the South Atlantic, since 1882. Guinness World Records highlight that he is older than the invention of photography and telephone, and has been standing on Earth before the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty.
The animal is remarkably healthy despite his age (well past the life expectancy of the species, around 150 years), with his only major affliction being the losing of the sense of smell due to age. But his caretakers say he is in great condition and has a healthy appetite.
An April Fool's day joke this year reported that he had died, but that was false. The previous record holder for the longest living tortoise was a radiated tortoise from Madagascar named Tui Malila, who passed away in 1965 at the age of 188 years.
In fact, his cells are being studied, because they don't appear to mutate in the same way of human cells. In the meantime, "he happily spends his days with three other tortoises in the gardens of the Governor's residence, eating grass and basking in the sunshine", Guinness World Records say.
