The longest living creatures on Earth can be found in our oceans, making their way through the waters for hundreds of years. But what’s the longest living land animal?
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Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, holds the title of being the oldest living land animal ever.
He resides on St Helena, a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic ocean. He is cared for in the grounds of Plantation House which is the residence of the governor of St Helena.
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While there’s no direct record of Jonathan’s birth, experts have estimated that he was born in 1832, and his official birthday was designated 4th December by St Helena Governor Nigel Phillips in 2022.
Jonathan’s lived through historical events such as the invention of the incandescent lightbulb (1879) and the first people to walk on the moon (1969). He’s also older than Yellowstone National Park (officially formalised in 1872) and Yosemite National Park (in 1864).
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In December 1831, not long before Jonathan is thought to have been born, a young Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle as a naturalist.
His observations, including the evolved beak of finches on the Galapagos Islands, would help him develop the theory of evolution – Darwin would later publish On the Origin of Species on 24 November 1859.
Jonathan has met many members of the British royal family including King George IV, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
On 1st April 2026, Jonathan found himself at the centre of an online hoax when a post on the social media platform X claimed that the tortoise had died. However, St Helena’s government issued a statement the next day confirming that he was “very much alive and well”.
Top image: Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise crawls through the lawn of Plantation House, the United Kingdom Governor official residence on 20th October 2017 in St Helena. Credit: Gianluigi Guercia/Getty Images
