The average human lifespan is just under 80 years, but some animals live much longer. Bowhead sharks, bowhead whales, koi, red sea urchins can live for hundreds of years. The mollusk, called the oceanic quahog, is known to live for over 500 years!
Some turtles are also particularly long-lived. How long do turtles live? Maybe you remember the answer “Crush the Sea Turtle” from the Disney movies. Finding Nemo: “One hundred and fifty, dude, and still young. Rock! “
Crash was right – many turtles and turtles can live to be 150 years old. Let’s explore some of the longest-lived turtle species and record ones.
How long do turtles live?
According to the Tortoise Conservation Society, most turtle species live between 10 and 80 years. But sea turtles and large land turtles can live much older. Their life expectancy can be 150 years or more.
As with whales, sharks and other species, it is often difficult to determine the exact age of a turtle. After all, researchers are usually not present when animals are born. However, some have estimated that large turtles can live for 400 to 500 years!
Meet the world’s oldest turtles
Seychelles giant tortoise Jonathan is currently the oldest known land animal in the world. Meet Jonathan and some of his predecessors as you review the following list of some of the longest-living land turtles in recent decades. Also note that all ages are rated or even contested. Estimates based on scientific research and historical data.
No. 5. Giant Galapagos Land Turtle Harriet
Age: 175 (approximate)
Female gender
Size: 150 kg
Species: Galapagos Giant Land Turtle, Chelonoidis niger
Birth: Galapagos Islands, circa 1830
Where he lived: Australia.
Harriet has fascinated animal lovers for over a century in Australia and two decades as a resident of the Australian Zoo in Queensland, Australia. She was often seen at Crocodile hunter TV series. Until her death in 2006, Harriet was the oldest known animal in the world (invertebrates and vertebrates with estimated but unconfirmed ages were not counted). The Guinness Book of Records called her “the oldest living chelonik”.
Where did Harriet come from? Naturalist Charles Darwin collected the turtle during an expedition to the Galapagos Islands in 1835, namely to Santa Cruz Island. It was about the size of a dinner plate at the time, and it has been estimated that it hatched around 1830. First she was taken to England, then in 1842 she arrived in Australia. She lived in Brisbane Botanical Gardens for more than 100 years before he was transferred to Flea Fauna Sanctuary and then to Australia Zoo. According to the Australian Zoo, “DNA testing has definitively proven that Harriet was at least one generation older than any existing turtle in Australia.”
No. 4. Jonathan Seychelles Giant Turtle
Age: 189 (approximate)
Gender: Male
Size: 48 inches long
Species: Seychelles giant tortoise, Giant Aldabrachelis
Birth: Seychelles, circa 1832
Habitat: Saint Helena Island
Jonathan, the Seychelles giant tortoise, a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise, was born about two years after Harriet. After her death, he became the oldest known land animal.
Jonathan was taken to the Seychelles, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of Africa, in 1882. He was taken to Saint Helena, an island in the Pacific Ocean, where he has lived since then.
Jonathan was described as “fully mature” in 1882. Since these turtles reach maturity at the age of 50, it is assumed that he hatched no later than 1832. However, he could have been several years older.
As of April 2021, Jonathan was reported to be alive and well.
No. 3. Tui Malila Radiant Turtle
Age: 189
Female gender
Size: 16.25 “long, 13” wide, 9.5 “high.
Species: Radiated Turtle, Astrochelys radiata
Birth: Madagascar, around 1777
Where he lived: Tonga
Tui Malila is said to have been collected in Madagascar, a large island off the coast of Africa, by the British explorer James Cook in 1777. She was later transferred to the royal family of the island of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean.
According to Tui Malil, “the proven record holder for the oldest turtle in the world.” Guinness Book of Records, but this record may soon be surpassed by Jonathan. Tui Malila died in 1966, but her surviving body can still be seen at the Royal Palace of Tonga.
No. 2. Giant turtle Advaita Aldabra
Age: 255 (unconfirmed)
Gender: Male
Size: 551 lbs
Species: giant tortoise Aldabra, Giant Aldabrachelis
Birth: Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, circa 1750
Where he lived: Calcutta, India.
Advaita is said to have arrived in India in 1757 and lived on a colonial estate until he was transferred to Alipora Zoo in 1875. Advaita lived at the Alipore Zoological Gardens in Kolkata, India until his death in 2006.
You will notice that Advaita died in the same year as Harriet, but it is estimated that he was born 82 years earlier. Why was Harriet and not Advaita considered the oldest land animal at the time? The stories about Advaita’s origins are considered anecdotes and not confirmed, while Harriet’s collection and travels are well documented. Some researchers place Advaita at the advanced age of 150 at the time of his death.
# 1. Alagba, the thorny African tortoise
Age: 344 (disputed)
Female gender
Size: 20 inches 90 pounds (medium)
Species: African clawed turtle, Geochelone sulcata
Birth: Africa, date not confirmed.
Where he lived: Nigeria.
In 2019, the Nigerian royal palace “announced that its native turtle … had died from a short illness, claiming it was 344 years old,” according to the BBC.
The turtle, believed by some to have healing powers, is believed to have been brought to the palace by Isan Okumoyed, who ruled from 1770 to 1797. This meant that Alagba was over 100 years old when he was brought to the palace.
Many experts consider this age to be unlikely, as this species of turtles typically has a lifespan of 80 to 100 years. It has been suggested that the name Alagba was given to more than one turtle over the years, replacing the first after its death.
Next: Herons vs. Herons: What’s the Difference?