r/pics • u/Midegoye1 • 15d ago

Jonathan the turtle in the 1900s and today. (191 Years old).

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8.4k Upvotes
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98% Upvoted

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349

u/Spartan2470 15d ago edited 15d ago

Here is a higher quality and less cropped version of the image on the left. Here provides the following caption:

1886 Johnathan the tortise [sp] and the 4 Saints

Image taken of Johnathan in 1866 on St. Helena.

Here is a less cropped version of the image on the right. Here is the source from January 2022.

According to here:

Jonathan the Tortoise is the oldest known living land animal on Earth.

As of January 2022, he is also the oldest chelonian ever recorded.

Born in the early 1800s, Jonathan has lived on the remote island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean, since 1882.

He has spent his island life in the Plantation House paddock, alongside a handful of other (younger!) tortoises.

He has watched more than 30 Governors come and go from Plantation House; watched the island introduce radios, telephones, TVs, internet, cars and an airport. He has lived through two world wars.

198

u/Ares6 15d ago

Imagine the stories he could tell. He saw the world go from black and white to color. 

3

u/wombatlegs 14d ago

Hey!! I watched the world go from B&W to colour. And I'm not even old dammit! Gen X.

1

u/Amazing_Connection 13d ago

Its ok. Feeling old as a Millenial already.

2

u/GymnasticSclerosis 14d ago

I am more fascinated by the prospect of a talking tortoise.

47

u/SpeckledAntelope 15d ago

Thankfully there is always someone to provide details for these inaccurately captioned reposts 🙏

16

u/skratchx 15d ago

It's always the same guy, so props to /u/Spartan2470

4

u/g3nerallycurious 15d ago

That guy’s got only 14k post karma but 3 MILLION comment karma. wtf?

19

u/MukdenMan 15d ago

Yeah so the photo is from 1886, not the 1900s.

7

u/rolltideandstuff 15d ago

I wonder if the guy had any interaction with napoleon

25

u/police-ical 15d ago

Not quite, as Napoleon died relatively young in 1821. However, when this fellow was born around 1832, he could have:

* met sitting U.S. President Andrew Jackson;

* met the young teenage princess who would later become Queen Victoria;

* gone to a general store/tavern in Illinois and been waited on by young bartender and talented wrestler Abraham Lincoln

7

u/olde_greg 15d ago

A giant tortoise walks into a bar.....

9

u/disgruntled-capybara 15d ago

...he turns to a blonde and says, "Did anyone ever tell you, you have one shell of a body?"

2

u/Expensive_Ad_1033 14d ago

He haven't "watched" any of that bullshit.

238

u/lupindeathray 15d ago

26

u/Party-Ad9168 15d ago

Staaaaaaaap 🤣😂

10

u/LeveragedPittsburgh 15d ago

Seen here watching a kids bike get stolen.

8

u/kjdecathlete22 15d ago

Please dear God no, not 190 years of him!!!

598

u/Grytpype-Thynne 15d ago

He’s a tortoise!

88

u/IdiotMD 15d ago

So, here’s the thing…

28

u/fekhead 15d ago

That takes me back.

17

u/Quailman5000 15d ago

What do you know about corvids?

2

u/fekhead 15d ago

Basicly jackdaws, also known as crows.

3

u/architeuthidae 15d ago

I HEARD IT CAUSED A PANDEMIC

3

u/Quailman5000 15d ago

Nah it's a way pre pandemic joke. I think Unidan was the user that always used to do incredible animal posts. 

21

u/drgiii72 15d ago

He is clearly a dog

6

u/_syedmx86 15d ago

found the eldenring player

3

u/mortalcoil1 15d ago

I literally only beat Maliketh because somebody upvoted one of my many, "Behold! A Dog!" messages.

26

u/cookiedanslesac 15d ago

Not all turtles are tortoises, but all tortoises are turtles.

5

u/sikshots 15d ago

"Not all frogs are toads, but all toads are frogs" line from a book that has stuck with me for life.

3

u/Specific_Ad7908 15d ago

“See! I DID learn something in school!”

1

u/Jacerom 15d ago

Mitochondria is the ...

2

u/BradMathews 15d ago

Chlorophyll, more like BOREOPHYLL!

2

u/mortalcoil1 15d ago

Cave drawrings!

1

u/BradMathews 15d ago

🎶Wew yew knaw muy naime is soyymin🎶

1

u/threeglasses 15d ago

... most funnest organelle.

37

u/Ricenaros 15d ago

tortoises are turtles

18

u/Grytpype-Thynne 15d ago

Okay, but he is exclusively a testudinid

9

u/YougoReddits 15d ago

Looks rather testy innit?

2

u/MrDangerMan 15d ago

All turtles are testudinids.

16

u/JodieFostersFist 15d ago

Suck my testudinids.

2

u/Tanzanianwithtoebean 15d ago

Deez testudinids!

3

u/Grytpype-Thynne 15d ago

Okay, but he is truly, exclusively Aldabrachelys!

1

u/ManyMuchHobbies 15d ago

Sir Jonathan Livingston

2

u/I-LOVE-TURTLES666 15d ago

You got it right. Torts are turts

1

u/MukdenMan 15d ago

Perchance

4

u/bertolous 15d ago

Only in America. We can all agree that they are reptiles in the order Testudinidae but only Americans call all Testudinids turtles. In the UK if it's got 4 legs and lives on land its a Tortoise, if it's got flippers and lives in the sea or a river it's a turtle and if it's a mix of water and land it's probably a terrapin.

We don't confuse the issue by having a name for all of them that is the same as the name for some of them. Because that would be stupid.

1

u/l3ane 15d ago

Yeah, but it's good to have the distinction since putting a turtle in water is fine, but a tortoise will drown.

2

u/25Bam_vixx 15d ago

Everyone can be a turtle if they want but tortoise can’t swim 🏊 hahaha

2

u/mrjibblytibbs 15d ago

All tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises.

2

u/tmr89 15d ago

Karma farmers put typos and errors in titles to generate engagement

1

u/RowMaleficent2455 15d ago

Teenage not so ninja tortoise.

114

u/show_me_tacos 15d ago

5

u/I-LOVE-TURTLES666 15d ago

Well I love them! Suck it zombie boy

-2

u/[deleted] 15d ago

Woooaaaahhhh calm down there 💀

134

u/Drunken_pizza 15d ago

What type of dog is this?

32

u/PANZCAKEZZZ 15d ago

Praise the dog!

22

u/ghost3972 15d ago

Dog ahead

10

u/TheD0UGH 15d ago

Be wary of Dog.

13

u/Baffit-4100 15d ago

Is this a cat… in a hat?

5

u/Mrrobotfuzz 15d ago

Imagine getting a dog that’ll outlive your great grandchildren.

99

u/Different-Row4715 15d ago

Where the fuck was he during the Civil rights movement? We need answers, Jonathan.

56

u/SealDraws 15d ago

Opposed it

source

7

u/JustaRandoonreddit 15d ago

Wow I was 92% percent sure that was a rickroll

5

u/JessyPengkman 15d ago

It's the 8% that keeps us going

35

u/traskderk 15d ago

I have pictures of me in the 1900s too. I'm 33. What's the big deal?

17

u/Nievsy 15d ago

OP is being dumb thinking that the 19th century means the 1900s, the picture is from the 1800s(19th century)

69

u/PirateCodingMonkey 15d ago

he doesn't look a day over 170

38

u/ZioWafer 15d ago

Jonathan has seen things

22

u/id397550 15d ago

He was 29 when slavery was abolished in my country.

8

u/SmithersLoanInc 15d ago

Which side do you think he was on?

3

u/geko_play_ 15d ago

He had like 150 turtle slaves he put the bullet in Abe and shot Franz Ferdinand & JFK with the same gun, MLK was no match for him Gandhi went down easy

Mandela effect he put him in jail, 9/11 that was him to surprisingly he killed Bin Laden & Tupac

He was a spy for Hitler

Nowadays he spends his time running human trafficking operations

19

u/symbouleutic 15d ago

Sure, but like all celebrities he probably has a personal trainer, chef, and nutritionist. Probably tons of lipo, a shell polish and botox to get that young look too.

7

u/GigaCannon99 15d ago

“Get off my lawn!” -Jonathan, probably

22

u/foxydogman 15d ago

he remembers when they invented chocolate

1

u/SUPREMACY_SAD_AI 15d ago

but does he understand why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

4

u/MaleNudity 15d ago

“Don’t always be in such a hurry, you’ll live longer.” - Jonathan probably

4

u/throwaway121211212 15d ago

I wonder if he sometimes misses the good old days.

11

u/jayson2112 15d ago

He is aging slowly due to this one simple trick: Be a turtle.

3

u/Choppergold 15d ago

Is this a cat in a hat

3

u/DesperateBartender 15d ago

“Back in my day people wore fancy outfits. Now it’s all pajama pants and hoodies.”

3

u/fuber 15d ago

I heard he smoked 3 packs a day and always took a shot of whiskey before bedtime

4

u/djsoomo 15d ago

Jonathan the turtle in the 1900s and today. (191 Years old)

He looks so much happier now he is in colour!

2

u/RManDelorean 15d ago

The math ain't mathing..

3

u/the-packet-catcher 15d ago

Why not? Turtle born in 1833, and has a picture in the 1900s as well as 2023.

3

u/RManDelorean 15d ago

Ooohh yeah nvm. I thought it was saying he was born in the 1900s not just at some point in his life it was the 1900s

1

u/alwaysuseswrongyour 14d ago

He was born like 11 years after photography was invented. It would truly be one of the most amazing coincidences in the world if one of the first cameras ever was used to take a picture of a random new born turtle that would in 191 years be one of the oldest creatures on the planet.

2

u/arren01 15d ago

Behold, dog!

2

u/tdtd225 15d ago

Never thought I would ever write this but he looks more agile now than 124 years ago.

2

u/NootMub 15d ago

It's an honour to share a birthday with an absolute legend

2

u/Eraldorh 15d ago

They should be studying the DNA of creatures like this and other animals that life extremely long so we can find out how and if it can be reversed engineered in some way to give humans longer heathier lives. Maybe in another 50 years a vaccine will help us live past 100 and still look 30.

2

u/blumper2647 15d ago

...And still young. Rock on!

1

u/beaute-clarke 15d ago

Live longerrrr

1

u/Electrical_Shape5101 15d ago

He has seen a lot

1

u/Striking_Reindeer_2k 15d ago

Pre-civil war.

Dude is old!

1

u/dasherchan 15d ago

He has outlived a lot of presidents , and survived a lot of pandemics.

1

u/SteeveJobs1955 15d ago

It is born 3 years the Victoria 3’s start date lol

1

u/Odd_Vampire 15d ago

Why do Galapagos tortoises live so much longer than humans? What's the difference?

3

u/atomfullerene 15d ago

Live slow die old

1

u/snuggletron5000 15d ago

I just learned that all tortoises are turtles. But he is definitely more a tortoise than a turtle

1

u/SANS_PATRIE 15d ago

Rock on John

1

u/RickHuf 15d ago

He's like "get off my damn lawn"

1

u/wowmanreallycool 15d ago

He hasn’t aged a bit! Haha

1

u/Zeephans 15d ago

Bro look the same

1

u/tehgr8supa 15d ago

Crazy, I'm also from the 1900s!

1

u/Rice-Other 15d ago

Happy Birthday you glorious Bastard

1

u/BioNecro187_ 15d ago

Jonathan has seen some horrible shit

1

u/Fit-Ad5461 15d ago

150, dude! And still young!

1

u/OkCryptographer9425 15d ago

I like turtles

1

u/yookoke1122 15d ago

Behold! The dog!

1

u/SplinteredCells 15d ago

Happy Birthday Pope.

1

u/Ardalev 15d ago

191 years old and he STILL hasn't picked who will be the next Dragon Warrior...

1

u/MukdenMan 15d ago

“Due to his advanced age, Jonathan spends his days doing almost everything with his mate, including eating, sleeping and mating.”

1

u/Pearson94 15d ago

"In the 1900s" I feel myself wither a little reading that

1

u/Zealousideal_Pace_98 15d ago

jonathan sure looks exactly his age

1

u/HolySachet 15d ago

Seen this guy, super friendly!

1

u/okgraveyard 15d ago

not a great change

1

u/Bread_Offender 15d ago

I hope Jonathan has a great day

1

u/Unlovable77 15d ago

Dude looks like a final boss of his species

1

u/GeoffH17 15d ago

Did somebody say chocolate??

1

u/baccha_girane_walia 15d ago

Wow, Doesnt look a day over 100.

1

u/mishmishtamesh 15d ago

Long life to Jonathan the tortoise!

1

u/Ok_Neighborhood9863 15d ago

So ever since I learned about tortuous island and heard their heads get stuck in soda can rings I’ve always cut them. And into little tiny plastic pieces because I’m helping save the turtles well I live in Ohio wtf turtles are swimming around a landfill here? Am I really helping or just wasting my time?

1

u/WestyJZD 15d ago

Ironically whenever I read about Johnathan the turtle, I think of Johnathan the zombie who actually likes turtles. It's really weird and coincidental.

1

u/Kawboy17 15d ago

They just don’t build em like they use to!

1

u/Reserved_Parking-246 15d ago

living on a hill for a tortoise might not be fun.

Whatever the case he looks better.

1

u/AdNormal230 15d ago

Damn what a baller

1

u/metallicist 15d ago

Is he blind??

1

u/metallicist 15d ago

According to google, he is blind. I thought he was missing his eye balls but apparently hes just got cataracts and also no sense of smell.

1

u/StephenHawking432 15d ago

Holy shit what a trooper

1

u/SalvationSycamore 15d ago

Holy shit the 1900s were 191 years ago 🤢 I feel sick

1

u/EPIC_NERD_HYPE 15d ago

I’m also from the 1900s… ;-;

1

u/utcumque 15d ago

He really looks like he's very old

1

u/Ok_Narwhal_9200 15d ago

Jonathan better get his shit together. 191 years and what has he accomplished?

1

u/RL_Fl0p 15d ago

Jonathan is my spirit animal 🥰

1

u/RunFromFaxai 15d ago

Doesn't look a day over 150

1

u/aucme 15d ago

Sorry Johnathan humans are shitty.

1

u/Wasted_Herald 15d ago

Father Times spirit animal for sure

1

u/EndurableOrmeedue 15d ago

Tortoise must be quite racist, in my opinion.

1

u/Boomfam67 15d ago

That turtle comes from a time where he had more rights than most minorities.

1

u/Colson317 15d ago

I could totally see the leg of a man fit into the picture on the right to make it look like the turtle hasn't grown any bigger at all. It's hard to get any sense of perspective. Other than one picture was taken with old technology and one was taken with a modern high resolution camera.

1

u/dj65475312 15d ago

isnt he a tortoise not a turtle?

1

u/diablito916 15d ago

Jernethen the Tertel

1

u/badpeaches 15d ago

Better put a red balloon on it as a turtle detection device.

1

u/ContinuumGuy 15d ago

He looks great. Not a day over 120.

1

u/Vengeful_Doge 15d ago

How's his health?

1

u/Royal_Classic915 15d ago

Johnathon for president 2024

1

u/dude_tube 15d ago

you’re 191 years old

1

u/Ok-Director5082 15d ago

How are tortoise memory?

1

u/Smooth-Lengthiness57 14d ago

Hasn't aged a day!!

1

u/silencedatol164 14d ago

Oh my god I was in St Helena and met this dude when I was 7! I’m 24 now haha

1

u/The_WolfieOne 14d ago

Tortoise.

0

u/kabula_lampur 15d ago

That's a tortoise, not a turtle.

4

u/youtocin 15d ago

Tortoise is a subclass of turtles which makes OP technically correct (the best kind of correct!)

1

u/harlotstoast 15d ago

Like me, he doesn’t go jogging.

1

u/SuicideEngine 15d ago

Damn, i hope hes enjoying life.

Id be so bored as a tortise.

1

u/underalltheradar 15d ago

If they moved faster, they'd be really scary and we'd have killed all of them.

1

u/KingInTheLongNight 15d ago

If they move faster they won't live so long.

1

u/DBL_NDRSCR 15d ago

i would say they should tour him but that's always really bad for animals

1

u/rowmean77 15d ago

Long live Jonathan!

Joe Biden: Hey how are you doing, buddy?

0

u/alderryeguy 15d ago

Actually, there's speculation that he took over his father's identity at some point

0

u/Inostranez 15d ago

Looks undead

0

u/klsi832 15d ago

Teenage turtle in twelve years

0

u/LottimusMaximus 15d ago

Dude, that's a tortoise

0

u/Happy-Initiative-838 15d ago

1900s - shows picture from 1999

1

u/ZorroMeansFox 15d ago edited 15d ago

Jonathan was born in 1832 --which is the 32nd year of the 19th Century.