One of the most impressive of tortoise facts is the unbelievable age some types can reach.As a species the tortoise has lived for 200 million years, meaning that it once shared the earth with the dinosaurs. They are older than birds, snakes, mammals and even crocodiles.
As individuals, tortoises are likewise associated with longevity. The oldest documented case was a tortoise called Tui Malila. Given to the royal family of Tonga in 1777 by the explorer Captain Cook, it died on 19 May 1965, at the age of 188.
Adwaita, a male Aldabra giant tortoise at the Alipore Zoo in India is alleged to have been 250 when he died in 2006. Before his life at the zoo, he had been the pet of General Robert Clive an official of the British East India Company. He originated from the Seychelles. His age has not been scientifically verified and he was already an adult when captured. Although Clive died in 1774, Adwaita only came to the zoo in 1875. According to reports, Clive owned three more tortoises of that size, although none of them survived nearly as long as Adwaita. In Bengali, his name means ‘one and only’.
Of the tortoise Methuselah’s, Harriet may well have boasted one of the more adventurous backgrounds. Her main claim to fame, besides age, was her status as a passenger aboard the Beagle on the famous voyage by Charles Darwin. There was said to have been as many as 40 tortoises aboard at one time, but some ended up in the pot, while others became the subject of scientific study. Harriet was luckier. She was the subject of several other intrigues. Determining her subspecies proved somewhat of a mystery, as she did not match the native breeds of any of the three islands from which Darwin collected tortoises. Even after her death, DNA did not quite solve the riddle. She was initially considered male and named Harry. Friendly and pleasant, her favorite food treat had been hibiscus flowers. She celebrated her last birthday, the 175th in 2005 at Australia Zoo and died 7 months later of heart failure.
If Harriet was a tortoise celebrity, Timothy’s early career was pure swashbuckling action. Rescued from the ship of a Portuguese privateer, Timothy served as the mascot on various ships in Her Majesty’s navy over a period of almost forty years. She, because Timothy is a female, although this was only discovered 1926, even saw some action during the Crimean War. In 1892, she was retired to Powderham Castle, the residence of the Earl of Devon, where she remained until her demise in 2004.
The tortoise currently believed to be the oldest in the world is named Jonathan and can be found on the island St Helena, although he hails from the Seychelles originally. The Daily Mail recently featured an image of him from around 1900. He was brought to St Helena in 1882, aged approximately 50 years.
One of most awe-inspiring tortoise facts is the way some of these ancient creatures have literally witnessed generations of humans pass them by.