JONATHAN
Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise who lives on the tiny island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. Born around 1832, he’s 192 years old! The world’s oldest living land animal, this gentle giant has a huge domed shell that is almost 1.2 m in length, strong, elephant-like legs and a long neck that helps him reach tasty leaves.
Today, Jonathan lives on the grounds of Plantation House, where the Governor of St Helena lives. He has a special vet who checks on him regularly, and his caretakers make sure he gets his favorite foods—fresh fruits and vegetables. Despite being nearly 200 years old, he still enjoys exploring his garden and meeting visitors from around the world!
Time-Traveling Tortoise! Jonathan has seen it all—watching our world change from horse-drawn carriages to self-driving cars. That’s Jonathan’s incredible story!
Jonathan was born around 1832. Back then, there were no cars, no phones, and definitely no video games! People rode horses, wrote letters by candlelight, and had never even dreamed of television.
When he was middleaged, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone (1876). People could talk to someone far away for the first time!
As Jonathan munched on grass in his home on St Helena Island, scientists discovered X-rays (1895), which let doctors see inside our bodies like magic.
By the time he was 100 years old, the first airplanes were soaring through the skies.
When he was about 125, penicillin was discovered (1928), a medicine that would save millions of lives.
From Earth to Space: Jonathan saw the launch of Sputnik (1957), Earth’s first artificial satellite. He was there when Neil Armstrong took his famous first steps on the Moon (1969). He’s lived to see robots exploring Mars and telescopes discovering thousands of planets around other stars!
In Jonathan’s later years, he’s witnessed some mindblowing changes:
* Birth of the internet (1990s)
* Phones becoming tiny computers that we carry in our pockets.
* The rise of robots and artificial intelligence.
A Living Legend: While the world around him has changed dramatically, Jonathan keeps living his peaceful life on the island of St Helena. He’s like a bridge between the past and present—a remarkable animal who has seen more history than any human alive today!
Long Live Jonathan!
