World's oldest known tortoise still alive, as reports of death revealed as hoax

The world's oldest known tortoise, Jonathan, is still alive, contrary to a widely circulated social media post which has been revealed as a hoax.

An account on X that had purported to belong to Joe Hollins, a vet who has previously cared for Jonathan, posted that it was "heartbroken to share" that the tortoise had died on the island of St Helena at an estimated age of 193.

Media outlets including the BBC, USA Today and Daily Mail published news reports about the post.

"Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive," Hollins has since told USA Today. "I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it's not even an April Fool joke. It's a con."

"To confirm - Jonathan is very much alive", Nigel Phillips, the governor of St Helena, told the BBC via email.

The BBC has also contacted Hollins for comment.

Jonathan's exact age is unknown, but a photograph taken in 1882 shows that he was fully grown when he was first brought to the island - where he lived on the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor of St Helena.

Experts say this suggests he was about 50 years old by that time.

Jonathan has lived through the reigns of at least eight British monarchs and met both George VI and the future Elizabeth II during their visit to the island in 1947.

The giant tortoise met Sir Lindsay in 2024, when he was presented with a Guinness World Record certificate recognising him as the oldest known land animal in the world.

Correction 2 April: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Jonathan had died, after the BBC along with other media outlets fell for a fake social media account. It has been updated to explain the circumstances.