Michael, you know tortoises live really long lives, don’t you?
M:
Yes, I’ve heard that before.
W:
Do you know how old the oldest tortoise in the world is?
M:
I don’t know exactly, but I think they live much longer than humans.
W:
Yes, exactly. Look at this picture. This tortoise’s name is Jonathan. He is a Seychelles giant tortoise and is thought to be about 190 years old. That would make him the oldest living land animal in the world.
M:
That would mean he was born in the 1800s.
W:
Right. Jonathan is believed to have been born in 1832. But his estimated age is based on the fact that he was fully mature when he was brought to St. Helena from the Seychelles in 1882 as a gift to its then-governor. In other words, he could potentially be even older than 190 years old.
M:
That’s hard to believe. Is he still healthy now?
W:
Jonathan is blind and has no sense of smell, so he is unaware of food if it is simply placed on the ground. His hearing, however, is excellent, and he responds to the sound of his doctor’s voice.