Where does the oldest turtle in the world live? The oldest turtles in the world. The oldest animals How long did the oldest turtle live?

While we are looking for the secrets of longevity, there are creatures on our planet that live for more than a hundred years. And there are even immortals.

1. George, a huge lobster that weighs about 9.1 kg. George's age is approximately 140 years. In 2008, it was caught off the coast of Newfoundland and then sold to a restaurant in New York for $100. However, in 2009, under the influence of the Humane Society, he was released back into the ocean.

2. Tuatara Henry, resident at the Southland Museum, New Zealand, recently celebrated his 115th birthday. Just imagine that Henry was born back in the 19th century.

Despite his advanced age, Henry became a father in 2009.

3. Guidaki- this is the view sea ​​mollusks, considered the largest burrowing mollusks. In addition, geoducks are also long-lived: their average lifespan is 146 years, and the age of the oldest individual found to date is 168 years.

4. This is Jonathan, A 182-year-old giant tortoise from St. Helena. “He is practically blind and has lost his sense of smell, but he still has good hearing,” says a local veterinarian. At 182, Jonathan may be the oldest living thing on the planet.

This is Jonathan in the 1900s

This is Jonathan now.

5. Greeter is an 83-year-old flamingo who until recently lived at Adelaide Zoo. Greeter was brought to the zoo in the 1930s but was unfortunately euthanized in January 2014 when his condition rapidly deteriorated.

6. In the cold dark In water at a depth of 600 meters, time flows slowly. Hoplostet- view deep sea fish, are known to reach sexual maturity by age 20 and can live up to 150 years. Oldest hoplostete Born in the year when serfdom was abolished in Russia.

7. Reds sea ​​urchins They live on average about 200 years and live in shallow waters off the west coast of America. Special attention Scientists were attracted to red urchins after a mark dating back to 1805 was discovered on one of them.

8. Cookie the Cockatoo Turned 80 last year. He was captured in Australia in 1933 and transported to the United States, where he lives at the Brookfield Zoo.

9. A mollusk named Min, caught on the Icelandic shelf, according to the first assumptions, lived 400 years. Upon re-analysis, scientists determined his age at 507 years.

10. Bowhead whales can live up to 200 years. Average duration The lifespan of this species is about 40 years. However, some individuals can live up to 211 years, which is a record among vertebrates.

11. 103-year-old Granny, the oldest famous killer whale, is the matriarch of the orca community. She was born the same year as Ronald Reagan.

12. Advaita - gigantic 250 year old Aldabra Island tortoise. Unfortunately, Advaita died in 2006. It was very popular among tourists and attracted many visitors to the Kolkata City Zoo.

13. Turtles - famous centenarians. This is 176-year-old Hariette from a zoo in Queensland (Australia). It is believed that Hariette was personally found by Charles Darwin in 1835 on one of the Galapagos Islands. Hariette died in the same year, 2006.

The world's oldest turtle lived in Australia. Why did she live? She passed away not long ago. Everything comes to an end someday. In this article we will tell you about the life of this famous turtle, as well as about its possible “successor”. The world should know its heroes, as they say, by sight!

Contemporary of Charles Darwin

Once upon a time, a real contemporary of the famous naturalist named Charles Darwin, who is famous for discovering the theory of human evolution, lived in the Australia Zoo. The world's oldest turtle, nicknamed Harriet, was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a creature that lived in captivity for 175 years! Just think about it: in captivity! It’s hard to imagine how many owners it has had, the very first of which was none other than the founder of the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin himself!

Life story...

Birthday

On October 11, 2005, this giant elephant turtle and the world's oldest turtle celebrated its 175th birthday. Harriet was born during the time of Queen Victoria, when she was still a child, namely in 1830. Surprisingly, for the first 124 years of its life, this turtle was mistaken for a male.

Who's the boss?

Interestingly, British paleontologists, who carried out a very thorough reconstruction of the turtle's past, believe that it was not Darwin who caught it, but ordinary whalers as a source of food. In addition, the hypothesis that the most old turtle in the world belonged to Darwin, is based only on the fact that the scientist caught four giant specimens during his trip to the Galapagos Islands (1835). Allegedly, Harriet was one of them.

Soon, two of the four turtles died, the remaining two were transported by ship to Australia by one of Charles Darwin's friends. Further DNA analysis revealed that Harriet most likely came from an island called Santa Cruz (Galapagos Islands).

Guilty without guilt

The oldest turtle has been a major attraction at Queensland Zoo for the past 30 years! A study of her DNA suggests that she is, in any case, at least 170 years old. Today, scientists believe that there are about 12 of its relatives left on our planet - the giant elephant tortoises. Moreover, zoologists blame Harriet for the small population! They claim that until the end of her life, the oldest turtle in the world retained the ability to reproduce: she was still ovulating, but there was no “groom”...

Quiet and modest

According to the stories of the keepers of the zoo where this turtle lived, its favorite food was hibiscus flowers. In addition, she ate eggplants, zucchini, parsley and beans and led a very modest lifestyle.

Harriet died in 2005 in the Galapagos Islands. She was 175 years old.

Continuation of the dynasty

According to unofficial data, valid as of October 2011, the oldest turtle in the world is considered to be a male Jonathan, living on the island of St. Helena. He is supposedly 180 years old today. However, this is not accurate information because Jonathan's DNA analysis carried out by the world's scientists cannot give us exact numbers.

They say that Jonathan still finds the strength to mate with three females. Interestingly, this turtle is a contemporary of 8 British monarchs and its 50 prime ministers!

There are old-timers among both people and animals. Turtles are considered the most prone to long life, especially if they live in ideal conditions– acceptable climate, abundant and healthy nutrition, communication with relatives. What is the oldest turtle on the planet?

Samira

This animal belonged to the breed Galapagos tortoises. She lived to be 270 years old (according to other sources - 315), dying in 2006 in the Cairo Zoo, as they say, of old age. Samira was given to the park by the last king of the state, Farouk, who has a weakness for exotic animals. At the end of her life, Samira practically did not move.

Advaita

The second oldest turtle in the world belonged to a species native to the Seychelles and lived for approximately 250 years. Back in the 19th century, English soldiers delivered it from Seychelles and presented to Lord Clive before he went home in 1867. Earlier, in the middle of the 18th century, the lord was sent to India with the aim of establishing a colonial regime there. During his absence, the animal lived in the palace garden. In 1875, it was decided to place it in the Calcutta Zoo (although there is still no official confirmation that this is the same turtle).

In March 2006, the reptile was found dead by zoo staff. This was predictable, since Advaita had been feeling unwell for a couple of days before. The impressive shell was preserved as a memory of the favorite of several generations of townspeople. Later, an examination was carried out to accurately determine the age of the turtle.

The exact name of the Advaita variety was "aldabra", in accordance with the atoll of the same name. This UN-protected site is home to another 150,000 of these turtles. Average weight the animal weighs 120 kg.

Tui Malila

According to legend, this Madagascar radiated tortoise was presented by Captain James Cook to the head of the Aborigines of Tonga in 1773. There is no official evidence of this, but if you believe it, it turns out that at the time of her death in 1966 she was 193 years old. By this point, she was already blind and could barely eat, so zookeepers had to move her mouth directly to the feeder.

Jonathan

This huge, imposing Seychelles tortoise was brought to St. Helena in 1882 along with three other specimens, each approximately 50 years old. Jonathan, now 185 years old, lives in the garden of the home of the island's governor, Spencer Davis. In 1900, a photograph was taken of a huge turtle lying at the feet of a Boer War prisoner. In 2008, confirmation was published that this particular turtle was Jonathan, who at that time was about 70 years old.

Harietta

At one time, an elephant tortoise named Garietta was included in the Guinness Book of Records for his long life– in 2005 she was 175 years old, all of which she spent in captivity. It is not known exactly who caught her; according to one version, it was Charles Darwin, according to another - ordinary whalers.

For the last 30 years of its life, the animal was a real attraction at the Queensland Zoo.

IN wildlife, according to scientists, only a dozen of its brothers remain.

It should be noted that the population could have been larger if Harietta had not been caught: until the end of her life she was capable of fertilization, but did not have a partner.

Favorite food amazing turtle there were hibiscus, and she also loved to eat eggplant and parsley, and was generally quite unpretentious and modest. Zoo workers talk about this.

Timothy

In April 2004, another of the honored long-lived turtles died. At that time, Timothy was 160 years old. He spent amazing life, serving as a mascot on a British warship, then sailed with soldiers to China and East India, and retired 100 years before his death. All this time, the turtle was crawling in the garden around Powderham Castle, located in Devon, and during hibernation hiding among the rose bushes. Then a sign was attached to it asking not to disturb. In 1926, all fans of the turtle were waiting for unexpected surprise: Turns out Timothy was a female. In general, we can say that the animal led a rather active lifestyle compared to other relatives and peers.

These are the amazing animals that lived and continue to live on our planet. I would like to believe that all representatives of the animal world will be just as lucky with their living conditions so that they can lead a long, fruitful life.

The world's oldest turtle lived in Australia. Why did she live? She passed away not long ago. Everything comes to an end someday. In this article we will tell you about the life of this famous turtle, as well as about its possible “successor”. The world should know its heroes, as they say, by sight!

Contemporary of Charles Darwin

Once upon a time in the Australian Zoo there lived a real contemporary of the famous naturalist named Charles Darwin, who is famous for the discovery of the theory of evolution, a turtle nicknamed Harriet was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a creature that lived in captivity for 175 years! Just think about it: in captivity! It’s hard to imagine how many owners it has had, the very first of which was none other than the founder of the theory of evolution, Charles Darwin himself!

Life story...

Birthday

On October 11, 2005, this giant elephant turtle and the world's oldest turtle celebrated its 175th birthday. Harriet was born during the time of Queen Victoria, when she was still a child, namely in 1830. Surprisingly, for the first 124 years of its life, this turtle was mistaken for a male.

Who's the boss?

Interestingly, British paleontologists, who carried out a very thorough reconstruction of the turtle's past, believe that it was not Darwin who caught it, but ordinary whalers as a source of food. In addition, the hypothesis that the oldest tortoise in the world belonged to Darwin is based only on the fact that the scientist caught four giant specimens during his trip to the Galapagos Islands (1835). Allegedly, Harriet was one of them.

Soon, two of the four turtles died, the remaining two were transported by ship to Australia by one of Charles Darwin's friends. Further DNA analysis revealed that Harriet most likely came from an island called Santa Cruz.

Guilty without guilt

The oldest turtle has been a major attraction at Queensland Zoo for the past 30 years! A study of her DNA suggests that she is, in any case, at least 170 years old. Today, scientists believe that there are about 12 of its relatives left on our planet - the giant elephant tortoises. Moreover, zoologists blame Harriet for the small population! They claim that until the end of her life, the oldest turtle in the world retained the ability to reproduce: she was still ovulating, but there was no “groom”...

Quiet and modest

According to the stories of the keepers of the zoo where this turtle lived, its favorite food was hibiscus flowers. In addition, she ate eggplants, zucchini, parsley and beans and led a very modest lifestyle.

Harriet died in 2005 in the Galapagos Islands. She was 175 years old.

Continuation of the dynasty

According to unofficial data, valid as of October 2011, the oldest turtle in the world is considered to be a male Jonathan, living on the island of St. Helena. He is supposedly 180 years old today. However, this is not accurate information because Jonathan's DNA analysis carried out by the world's scientists cannot give us exact numbers.

They say that Jonathan still finds the strength to mate with three females. Interestingly, this turtle is a contemporary of 8 British monarchs and its 50 prime ministers!

Mother Nature amazes us all the time. Most surprising of all are the facts about the longevity of creatures. Turtles are among the ten most ancient creatures living on land. They have inhabited the planet for 220 million years. Among them there are also long-lived turtles, whose age has exceeded a hundred years.

There are amazing animals on Earth whose age is simply amazing. But not all records of centenarians have been documented.

There is information that sheds light on how old the oldest turtle is: Samira, who lived a little over three centuries. Although such a statement is controversial, since it has not been documented.

Here is a list of the longest living turtles in the world:

Name View Age (in years)
Samira Galapagos 270-315
Advaita Seychelles 150-255
Tui Malila Madagascar radiata 189-192
Jonathan Seychelles 183
Harietta ivory 175
Timothy Mediterranean 160
Kiki gigantic 146

Of all those listed, only Jonathan, the Seychelles giant tortoise, is alive today.

Samira

This oldest turtle in the world has graduated life path in Egypt (Cairo) at a very advanced age. According to some sources, she was 270 years old at that moment, according to others - all 315. Recent years This old animal has already stopped moving independently.

In 1891, the reptile was given to the zoo by King Farouk, the last monarch of Egypt.

Advaita

Before his departure to India, Lord Robert Clive was given this exotic animal by British soldiers returning from the Seychelles in 1767.

The reptile first lived in the garden of the lord's house. Then, after his death in 1875, she was taken to the Alipore Zoological Garden in Calcutta. But there was no evidence that it was Advaita that the soldiers presented to the lord.


The animal died in 2006. It is assumed that she lived a little more than a quarter of a millennium - 255 years. To prove this fact, it was decided to preserve her shell. Zoo workers plan to use an examination to establish the exact age of the reptile.

Tui Malila

The age that this long-lived turtle has reached is a Guinness record. Although in this case, the exact age of the reptile could not be established.

According to unconfirmed documentary information, in 1773 it was presented as a gift to the native leader by Captain Cook himself. Tui Malila ended up on the island of Tonga.


The preserved body of Tui Malila is currently on display at the Tongan National Center on Tongatapu.

Assuming it was a one-year-old turtle, it would have been 192 years old at the time of its death in 1966. But there is information that the leader received the animal a little later. Then the record holder lived to be 189 years old.

IN lately Malila stopped moving completely and could no longer see anything. She only ate what was put directly in her mouth. The patterns on the shell darkened, it became almost one color - almost black.

Jonathan

This giant tortoise was transported from the Seychelles in company with three others in 1882 and presented to the governor of St. Helena. The animals were about half a century old at this time.

This conclusion was reached due to the rather large size of their shells. The proof is a photograph taken around 1886-1900, in which Jonathan was photographed with two men. The picture clearly shows that the reptile is quite large, its shell is the size of a small table. Because of this, they decided that the turtle was half a century old at the time of the move.


Jonathan - Seychelles giant tortoise

In 1930, the then-current governor of the island, Spencer Davis, decided to name the almost century-old male. So the oldest of all creatures currently living on the planet still lives in the official residence of the island’s governor.

In 2019, Jonathan will celebrate his 183rd birthday. He is still quite vigorous and active, although sometimes he shows old-age intolerance. It happens that a long-liver, who considers himself the rightful owner of the territory of the Plantation House, will overturn all the benches in the yard and snort at the people doing work on the site and caring for the old-timer.

Jonathan's image appears on the five penny coins of St Helena. He is a frequent hero of television shows and magazine articles.

Harriet (Harietta)

Thirteen years ago (in 2006), at the age of 176, this centenarian died of a heart attack at the Australia Zoo. She was born presumably in 1830 on one of the islands of the Galapagos archipelago.

In the company of two more individuals of the same species. The turtles were about five years old. This was determined by the size of their shells - they were no larger than a plate. The future centenarian was mistakenly mistaken for a male and named Harry.


C. Darwin's Tortoise - Hariette

In 1841-1952 reptiles lived in Australia in Brisbane city botanical garden. Then Harry was then transported to protected area on the coast of the country. It is unknown where the other two turtles went.