By Sichwa Post – 9/9/2021
In the race of life, the tortoise surpasses the hare every time, research shows. Tortoises have the reputation of living for very long and Jonathan, a Seychelles Tortoise living on the island of Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean can attest to this.
The Tortoise is said to be the oldest Known living land animal. No doubt Jonathan life has witnessed the two world wars, all world colonialisms, the great depression, the Spanish flu and at the moment Covid 19 Pandemic.
Jonathan is said to have been brought to the Island back in 1882 from Seychelles and was name by Governor of Saint Helena Sir Spencer in the 1930s, he’s now approximated to be 189 years old, older that the France’s Eiffel Tower, completed in 1887.
As reported by Guinness World Records, born circa 1832 – five years before the coronation of Queen Victoria, “makes him the oldest-known land animal alive today.”
His veterinarian says he is still very healthy despite his age that is past his average lifespan of 150 years. All the same, Jonathan has normal health related issues that come with age such as blindness and lose of sense of smell.
A report source from Duke University points that an analysis of the calculated speeds of animals based on land, air and water shows that some of the world’s fastest animals are actually some of the slowest when their movements are averaged throughout their lifetime.
