Let’s Talk Trash! 6
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Oldest Animal Jonathan the Tortoise Is Going Strong at 184 e xerpts from Laura Geggel, Senior Writer
A caloric increase is helping the oldest known living terrestrial animal in the world — a giant tortoise — reclaim his health and vigor, a veterinarian reports. At 184 years old, Jonathan, an Aldabra giant tortoise, who resides on the tiny Atlantic island of St. Helena. Until recently, the giant tortoise munched on twigs, leaves and grass, an unhealthy diet for such a large and aging tortoise. But now, he’s being served a more nutritious menu, including apples, carrots, cucumbers, bananas and guava, according to National Geographic. Before the diet change, Jonathan’s keratin beak was blunt and soft, making him an inefficient grazer. [sic] A better diet helped the tortoise develop a sharper bite. “His once blunt and crumbly beak has become sharp and lethal, so he was probably suffering from microdeficiencies of vitamins, minerals and trace elements,” until the diet upgrade, his caretaker Hollins said in a statement. Jonathan’s life may be long, but it hasn’t been easy. He was born in the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean. In 1882, Jonahton, the tortoise was given as a gift to the governor of St. Helena, an island slightly larger than Manhattan that was
Frederika and Myrtle, have joined him. But as Aldabra giant tortoises, they’re unable to mate with Jonathan. Being very old, Jonathan has lost his site, but has not lost his sense of smell
Veterinarian Dr. Joe Hollins feeds Jonathan on the lawn near the governor’s house on Saint Helena. Credit: Copyright 2016 British Veterinary Association
or hearing. Seychelles giant tortoises have a life expectancy of 150 years, but Jonathan appears to be going strong. Source: http:// www.livescience.com/53365-jonathan-tortoise-is-oldest-animal.htmlhttp://www. telegraph.co.uk/good-news/2016/03/23/worlds-oldest-living-animal-aged-184-has- first-ever-bath/
DEFINITIONS: ca·lor·ic adjective: caloric
Scientific name: Aldabrachelys gigantea Higher classification: Aldabrachelys
of or relating to heat; calorific. “a caloric value of 7 calories per gram” ker·a·tin noun: keratin; plural noun: keratins a fibrous protein forming the main structural constituent of hair, feathers, hoofs, claws, horns, etc. microdeficiencies Micronutrient deficiency or dietary deficiency is a lack of one or more of the micronutrients required for plant or animal health.
Rank: Species
Did You Know?
Jonathan, which is 45ins long and can stand up to 2ft tall
The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Historically, giant tortoises were on many of the western Indian Ocean islands, as well as Madagascar, and the fossil record indicates giant tortoises once occurred on every continent and many islands with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. Many of the Indian Ocean species were thought to be driven to extinction by over-exploitation by European sailors, and they were all seemingly extinct by 1840 with the exception of the Aldabran giant tortoise on the island atoll of Aldabra
once inhabited by an exiled Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as more than 5,000 Boer War prisoners, according to some reports. Jonathan was about 50 years old when he arrived on St. Helena. Since then, other tortoises, including David, Emma,
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