Tuesday's ugly and ill-tempered first US presidential debate has been widely condemned.

He has gained weight, redeveloped his sharp-edged beak to help him eat grass and become more active. Don’t be mistaken: Jonathan, the giant tortoise in question, is definitely real, and he’s still very much alive! Though giant tortoises like Jonathan can live up to 250 years, the community has already drafted a detailed plan for when he finally pops his shell - dubbed "Operation Go Slow". And at 185 years old, he is still going strong. His beak has become a deadly weapon for anyone attempting to shove a carrot anywhere near his mouth. He just might be the oldest living tortoise, or even terrestrial animal, in the world. Ms. Sanders’ weight was too important for the tortoise’s carapace and it immediately began cracking up, crushing the animal underneath. This big handsome guy is Jonathan the giant tortoise. Meet Jonathan, Myrtle and Fredrika, three of five giant tortoises who live on St Helena.

And he can belch.
None of that seems to matter to Jonathan, though, because 185 years old is nothing to sneeze at—and he must know it. "He doesn't mean to nip me," he says, "he just finds it difficult to locate his food.". Instead his shell will be preserved and will go on display in St Helena. This Giant Tortoise Weighs Over 1000 Pounds and Might Be 250 Years Old | Culture Aldabra Giants number about 100,000, but only one small breeding population of Seychelles tortoises exists.

The hillocks rise and trot surprisingly swiftly towards us. Its inhabitants, known as Saints, share this complex past, and ethnic traits of Africans, Americans, Europeans and Chinese. Jonathan is a rare Seychelles Giant. He currently shares his enclosure with four other giant tortoises; David, Emma, Frederika and Myrtle. Jonathan the giant tortoise is the world's oldest living animal. Dr Hollins said: "Jonathan has become almost completely blind due to cataracts and has lost his sense of smell. Yet, as important as it is to remember that life is short, the truth is that our lifespans as humans are much longer than that of many other animals. Of course, Jonathan is probably not as “quick” on his feet as he used to be, but that’s because he may very well be the oldest living tortoise on Earth—which could only mean one thing…. I have not come to see the governor, nor the large brown hillocks which dot the pristine lawns. The site’s veterinarian, Dr. Frank Hollins, arrived less than a minute later, but Jonathan had already died of suffocation.

Jonathan (hatched c. 1832) is a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa), a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), and the oldest known living terrestrial animal in the world. The Saints would like to raise funds for a life-size bronze statue of him.

Just look at the great big smile on his face!

He has put on weight and is a lot more active. It has also been decided that stuffing Jonathan would be a rather morbid and outdated thing to do.

"He lost weight because of his nutritional deficiencies. At the time, he was already 70 years old. This big handsome guy is Jonathan the giant tortoise. It is thought the stress of transporting him to the archipelago in the Indian Ocean would be too much for him let alone the rise in blood pressure from a lustful liaison with a female. The photo of him on the left was taken in 1902. Now, a viewing corridor runs along the bottom of the lawn to keep overzealous sightseers at bay. When he goes, Jonathan will be mourned by friends and admirers on St Helena and around the world. I changed his diet and started to give him a mixed bowl of fruit and vegetables like apples, carrots, lettuce, guavas and bananas which are very high in calories. Plantation House in St Helena sits proud amid gumwood trees alive with chirps and whistles. How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30 and some Thursdays at 11:00. His head extends out from his shell to a surprising length.

See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, Thirty-three governors have come and gone since then, and nobody wants Jonathan to die on their watch. BBC World Service: Short editions Monday-Friday - see World Service programme schedule. That’s right: Jonathan is, quite possibly, the oldest living land animal on the planet. St Helena was born as a violent volcano, and along with Ascension and Tristan du Cunha in the South Atlantic, is famed for its isolation and close-knit society. These are external links and will open in a new window. Sally Kettle visits the island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean and meets one of the world's oldest animals, Jonathan the giant tortoise. "The life expectancy of a giant tortoise is 150 but there is no reason why Jonathan won't still be here after we have all gone.". Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook. Jonathan was approximately 50 years old when he arrived on the small island in the south Atlantic from the Seychelles in the 19th century. Tourists would often do whatever it took to get "that" photo. Claim: 500-lbs woman kills world's oldest tortoise by accidentally sitting on it "He is virtually blind from cataracts, has no sense of smell - but his hearing is good," Joe tells me. The 70-year-old tortoise makes himself at home at London Zoo. Unfortunately, Jonathan's trysts have not produced young - thus far. Express. Jonathan loves having his neck stroked. Maybe he became a curio for Hudson Janisch, governor in the 1880s.

Jonathan the giant tortoise gets new lease of life aged 183 The world's oldest living animal has been given a new lease of life after a vet put him on a healthy diet - at the age of 183. Many victims of the slave trade - sick and dying - would spend their final hours on the shores of St Helena.

It’s not like tortoises carry birth certificates with them! Nobody knows why Jonathan ended up in St Helena. Our world is full of weird and wonderful creatures, many of which amaze scientists and non-scientists, alike. Following the death of Harriet, a 175-year-old giant Galapagos Land tortoise, in 2005 in Australia, Jonathan has been recognised as the world's oldest living land animal. Blindness made it hard for Jonathan to find the right vegetation, and due to malnutrition Jonathan's beak became blunt and soft, adding to his problems finding food. Tortoises scrape at the grass with their horny beaks, made from keratin, like nails. Still, just because Jonathan is possibly the oldest known land animal on Earth doesn’t mean there aren’t others. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. It was feared Jonathan the giant tortoise was on his last legs after his health seriously declined due to losing his eyesight and sense of smell. We really have no way of knowing how old most animals are for sure, at least, not with the technology and knowledge that are currently available to us. Many humans would be lucky to live as long as he did at that point! He has put on weight and is a lot more active and is walking more than he used to. When Jonathan was brought to his home on the island of Saint Helena Island in the South Atlantic Ocean in 1882, he was already a fully sized adult. But to me, he is also a symbol of a remote society, soldiering on in genuine isolation. This means that he was born around 1832.

At around 187 years old, he’s now the oldest-known animal in the world — and he’s living a relaxing life on the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where he’s been since the late 1880s. During the 17th Century ships could contain hundreds of easily-stacked tortoises, like a fast-food takeaway. With this extra nutritional boost Jonathan's skin now looks plump and feels supple. The photo of him on the left was taken in 1902. Despite his challenges, everyone just loves Jonathan, even as he’s starting to show his age.

But Jonathan, who is a Seychelles giant tortoise, lived to see it all. Mr Capes is certainly keen "that he should be treated with the respect, attention and care he surely deserves". Their shy friends David and Emma are hiding in the rough. His plight was spotted by the island's vet, Dr Joe Hollins, who immediately put him on a high-calorie and nutritious diet of a bowl of apples, carrots, cucumber, bananas and guava.

And then there was Napoleon, in exile. Jonathan, a Boer War prisoner, and a guard, around 1900, https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26543021, Far-flung British islands of the South Atlantic. It is thought that Jonathan was brought to the island of St. Helena in 1882.