The oldest turtle in the world lived in Australia. Why did you live? She passed away not so long ago. Everything once comes to an end. In this article we will tell you about the life of this famous turtle, as well as its possible "successor". The world must know its heroes, as they say, in person!
Contemporary Charles Darwin
Once upon a time in the Australian Zoo, a real contemporary of the famous naturalist by the name of Charles Darwin lived, who is known for discovering the theory of human evolution. The oldest turtle in the world, nicknamed Harriet, was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a creature that has lived in captivity for 175 years! Just think: in captivity! It is hard to imagine how many owners she had changed, the very first of whom was none other than the founder of evolution theory Charles Darwin!
Life story…
Birthday
On October 11, 2005, this giant elephant, as well as the world's oldest turtle, celebrated its 175th anniversary. Harriet was born during the time of Queen Victoria, when she was still a child, namely in 1830. Surprisingly, the first 124 years of life, this turtle was mistaken for a male.
Who is the boss?
It is interesting that the British paleontologists, who carried out a very thorough reconstruction of the past turtle, believe that it was not Darwin who caught it, but ordinary whalers as a source of food. In addition, the hypothesis that the oldest turtle in the world belonged to Darwin is based only on the fact that the scientist caught four giant individuals during his trip to the Galapagos Islands (1835). Allegedly, Harriet was among them.
Soon two of the four turtles died, the other two were transported by ship to Australia by one of Charles Darwin's friends. Further DNA analysis showed that Harriet most likely comes from an island called Santa Cruz (Galapagos Islands).
Guilty without guilt
The oldest turtle has been the main attraction of the Queensland Zoo for the past 30 years! A study of her DNA suggests that she is at least 170 years old anyway. Today, scientists believe that on our planet there are about 12 of its relatives - giant elephant turtles. Moreover, zoologists accuse Harriet of a small population! They claim that until the end of her life, the oldest turtle in the world retained the ability to reproduce offspring: she still had ovulation, but there was no “groom” …
Quiet and modest
According to the tutors of the zoo premises in which this turtle lived, hibiscus flowers were her favorite food. In addition, she ate eggplant, zucchini, parsley and beans and led a very modest lifestyle.
Harriet died in 2005 in the Galapagos Islands. She was 175 years old.
Continuation of the dynasty
According to unofficial data, valid for October 2011, the oldest male torture in the world is considered to be a male Jonathan living on St. Helena. Today, he allegedly turned 180 years old. However, this is not accurate information, because Jonathan's DNA analysis by world scientists cannot give us exact numbers.
It is said that Jonathan still finds the strength to mate with three females. Interestingly, this turtle is a contemporary of 8 British monarchs and its 50 prime ministers!
