Jonathan the Tortoise Turns 191, Becomes World's Oldest Living Land Animal

(Image credit: Xben911/Wikimedia Commons)

We all know from Finding Nemo how old turtles can get. After being asked by Marlin about his age, Crush replies smoothly, "150, dude, and still young!"

Of course, Crush is not the only animated movie turtle we know. Master Oogway from the Kung Fu Panda franchise is said to have been thousands of years old. And these are not far from reality because, on average, turtles can live up to 150 years, depending on their species. Larger turtles are said to reach well beyond 200 years old, and even be able to live up to 400 or 500 years.

Right now, the world's oldest living land animal is a tortoise named Jonathan, who was born around 1832 and has just turned 191. What's more, he doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Currently, Jonathan lives in the island of St. Helena, and has been bestowed an official birthday of December 4, 1832, although his exact date of birth is unknown. He arrived on the island from Seychelles as a gift to the governer in 1882.

Learn more about Jonathan's life on the Smithsonian Magazine.