Jonathan the tortoise is NOT dead: claims oldest land animal has died debunked

Jonathan the tortoise is still alive and well despite cruel claims he’d died on April Fools’ Day.

Last night, a tweet from someone claiming to be the former vet of the oldest living land animal announced that Jonathan had died at the age of 193.

The post prompted news reports around the world that the record holder was no longer with us, but we can confirm he's fine.

A spokesperson for the St Helena government confirmed to Guinness World Records that Jonathan is "alive and well". They called the false claims of his death "terrible".

A community note was later tagged on to the original X post debunking the claims.

It read: “St Helena island, where the oldest tortoise lives, has an official protocol (Operation Go Slow) for Jonathan's eventual passing, which includes a national day of mourning and a formal obituary. None of these actions have yet been taken by the Governor's office. Verify source.”

And the original poster later followed up the false claim, boasting: “1.7M views is crazy on a post about Jonathan dying today. Yes, he's still alive.”

Jonathan is believed to have been born around the year 1832 based on the fact that he was fully mature – and therefore at least 50 years old – when he was brought to St Helena from the Seychelles in 1882.

But it’s important to note that his age is just a conservative estimate and that Jonathan is probably even older than we think.

Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa), has already far surpassed the 150 years that members of his species usually live.

His long life also means he’s the oldest turtle/chelonian ever.

Read about more record-breaking animals in our dedicated news section.

Joe Hollins, a St Helena-based vet who cared for Jonathan for many years, recently told us that the tortoise was showing “no signs of slowing down”.

He said: “In spite of losing his sense of smell and being virtually blind from cataracts, his appetite remains keen.

“He is still being hand-fed once a week with a fortifying helping of fruit and vegetables by a small, dedicated team. This not only supplements his calories but provides those essential drivers of his metabolism: vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.

“It is extraordinary to think that this gentle giant has outlived every other living creature on land, including of course the whole human race.

“Jonathan is in good health and all the indications at present make us hopeful that he will reach his third century – if indeed he hasn’t done so already!”

Jonathan has lived at Plantation House – the home of St Helena’s governor – ever since he arrived on the island more than 140 years ago.