World’s oldest land animal who lived through both World Wars and American Civil War turns 190

Jonathan presented with ‘birthday cake’ made from his favourite fruits and vegetables

The world's oldest known land animal that has lived through two World Wars, the American civil war, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and countless uprisings in the 20th century has turned 190 years old.

A week-long birthday bash was thrown for Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise in the South Atlantic island of St Helena, a small British overseas territory that has been his home for a major chunk of his life.

Jonathan is believed to be born around 1832, based on shell measurements, and spent nearly 50 years in Seychelles before he was brought to St Helena in 1882 as a gift for governor Sir William Grey-Wilson.