[Animals] The story of Jonathan, the world's oldest homosexual tortoise

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Jonathan, the oldest tortoise in history, has shared the last 30 years with Fred, his inseparable partner in the gardens of Plantation House.
Jonathan is the most famous resident of Saint Helena, an island in the South Atlantic between Brazil and Angola with some 121.7 square kilometers. His very long life has made him a true celebrity, and he is currently considered the oldest living land animal in the world.

This giant tortoise from Seychelles arrived on the island in 1882, when he was around 50 years old. It was a gift to Sir William Grey-Wilson, who later became Governor. This has been his home for 140 years, and has seen 31 governors pass by.

Jonathan has spent most of his life enjoying the lush green gardens of the Saint Helena Governor's residence, Plantation House, alongside three other giant tortoises: Emma, David and Fred.

This 2022, the tortoise celebrated its 190th birthday, and with this it is not only the longest living land animal in the world, it now also holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest tortoise in history.

“ITS OFFICIAL RECORD TITLE IS THE OLDEST CHELONIAN, A CATEGORY THAT INCLUDES ALL TURTLES, LAND AND FRESHWATER,” PUBLISHED GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ON ITS WEBSITE.

At a slow pace, Jonathan has defied nature, as he has outlived the typical life expectancy of a giant tortoise which can be 150 years. Currently, it is common to see it basking in the sun, with its legs and neck stretched out. At times, her enjoyment has been so great that it has frightened visitors who have come to believe that she is dead.

Jonathan and Frederica met in 1991. Since then they have accompanied each other and mated in the gardens for three decades, without having any offspring. Frederica and Emily, the females in the group, are Aldabra giant tortoises, a different gender than Jonathan.

In 2017, The Times reported on a find at the Plantation House. A lesion on Frederica's shell, which needed attention, revealed that it was probably a male, and not a female, as had been believed for 31 years.

“THE FEMALE HE HAS BEEN COURTING FOR THE LAST 26 YEARS IS APPARENTLY NOT THE FREDERICA HE LOVED, BUT FREDERIC,” THE TIMES reported. "FURTHER EXAMINATION DISCOVERED THAT SHE HAD A SLIGHT DEFORMITY DUE TO A JUVENILE INJURY, BUT MORE SURPRISINGLY ALSO REVEALED THAT FREDERICA WAS LIKELY A MALE."

That same year, Catherine Man, the island's veterinarian, explained to Fox News that the unknown is that males usually have a concave indentation called a plastron, which allows them to mate with females. Frederica has a deformity, this prevents seeing the shape of her plastron.

"It's not safe," she said at the time. "She could be male, she could be female." Currently, Jonathan's partner is only named as Fred, without delving into the finding that has not been resolved.

“DESPITE HIS AGE, JONATHAN STILL HAS A GOOD LIBIDO AND IS FREQUENTLY SEEN MATING WITH EMMA AND SOMETIMES WITH FRED: ANIMALS ARE NOT USUALLY ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE TO GENDER!” JOE HOLLINS MENTIONED IN AN INTERVIEW FOR GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS .

Time has caressed the shell of the turtle Jonathan. Of the more than 4,000 inhabitants of Santa Elena, it is probably the most famous in the world. His greatest achievement has been the persistence to continue enjoying life.

But with its long history of life on earth, its health has begun to decline, the turtle is blind and has been losing its sense of smell, although it retains its hearing and an unparalleled appetite.

His keepers feed him a delicious diet of carrots, cucumbers, apples, and bananas. Also, according to the government of Santa Elena, once a week he receives vitamins, minerals and essential elements, to stay healthy.

"HIS HEARING IS EXCELLENT AND LOVES BEING IN THE COMPANY OF HUMANS, AND RESPONDS WELL TO THE VOICE OF HIS VETERINARIAN JOE HOLLINS AS HE ASSOCIATES IT WITH A FEAST," MENTIONS THE RELEASE.

The giant tortoise is estimated to have hatched in 1832. It was "fully adult" when it arrived on Saint Helena in 1882 from the Seychelles Islands, according to a letter. Although his caretaker Joe Hollins believes he may have been born earlier:

"JONATHAN IS A SYMBOL OF PERSISTENCE, RESISTANCE AND SURVIVAL AND HAS REACHED AN ICONIC STATUS ON THE ISLAND," HE TOLD THE WASHINGTON POST.

From his green garden, Jonathan, the oldest tortoise on earth, has the ability to touch every inhabitant of the island. His image appears on the reverse of the fivepence coin, which is passed from hand to hand.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/la-historia-de-jonathan-la-tortuga-homosexual-mas-antigua-del-mundo/