Jonathan the tortoise turns 188; netizens shower wishes on 'the oldest living creature'

The internet is mostly a pleasant place for many as it often surprises netizens with some quirky information. Recently, joining the list, a Twitter user shared a picture of a tortoise, whose name is Jonathan, and amused the netizens as he stated that the tortoise has turned 188. On October 9, picture of Jonathan-the tortoise was shared on the micro-blogging site and it managed to grab the attention of several netizens. 

In the caption, the user, by the name Anna Berserk, asserted that the 188-year-old Jonathan is the oldest living terrestrial animal. In the photo, Jonathan was seen striking a pose while keeping his head up. Scroll down to take a look at the tortoise. 

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Within a day, the Twitter post managed to garner more than 308k likes along with 47.9k re-tweet; and still counting. While recalling Jonathan's journey, a user pointed out various historic events the tortoise witnessed, such the American Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the construction of the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty, among many others. Another Twitter user asserted, "Doesn't look a day over 187". 

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On the other side, a section of fans were curious to know how Jonathan's age was calculated if he is 188-year-old. A user's comment on the same read, "Do they actually have records kept that far back evidently he has lived thru numerous human care takers" while another wrote, "People how can 188 years of this tortoise be CONFIRMED.who was there 188 years ago when this tortoise was born". Giving an explanation to them, the user, who shared Jonathan's birthday tweet, shared a screen-grab from the Wikipedia page and replied, "There's documentation and photo's with a little guess work". 

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More about Jonathan the tortoise

Interestingly, Jonathan saved a spot in the Guinness World Records in 2019 for being the oldest animal on land. According to Guinness World Records,  Jonathan was born in 1832. The report further stated that although originating from Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, Jonathan has resided on the remote island of St Helena in the South Atlantic since 1882.