tortoise

Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise living on the island of St Helena, is recognised as the oldest known land animal on Earth, estimated to be around 190 years old. He was already fully grown when photographed in the late 1800s and has lived through the reigns of numerous British monarchs, drawing renewed attention to his remarkable longevity.

Researchers surveying an island in the Seychelles have found around 180,000 giant tortoises living there, a far larger population than previously known. The finding is significant for conservation, as giant tortoise numbers collapsed across the Indian Ocean after centuries of hunting, and it suggests the species can recover strongly when given protected habitat.

A new survey estimates roughly 180,000 Aldabra giant tortoises live on Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, the first rigorous count since the late 1990s. Researchers using improved statistical methods that correct for unseen animals concluded earlier population figures were underestimated, offering a brighter picture for the species and its UNESCO-listed habitat.

Scientists have found around 180,000 giant tortoises living on a single island in the Seychelles, one of the largest known populations of the species. The news is being widely shared with delight online, with many celebrating the discovery as rare good news for a threatened animal and marvelling at photographs showing huge numbers of tortoises together.

Defector has published a piece looking at a turtle reported to be 194 years old, framing its extraordinary lifespan with the tongue-in-cheek conclusion that the secret to living nearly two centuries is simply being a turtle. The item is drawing attention as a lighthearted take on animal longevity and what extreme lifespans in tortoises and turtles reveal about aging.

The Seychelles giant tortoise population has rebounded so strongly that the animals now outnumber the country's human residents. Conservation efforts, including habitat protection on islands like Curieuse, have helped numbers climb from near extinction in the 19th century to well over 100,000. The recovery is being celebrated as a rare conservation success for a species once hunted nearly to extinction.

Researchers have produced the first epigenome from a giant tortoise nearly 200 years old, marking the reptile as an unprecedented contributor to aging research. Scientists say the animal's extreme longevity makes its genetic markings unusually valuable for understanding how aging works. The story is being shared widely among science and health readers, with many celebrating the tortoise's unusual place in research history.

Scientists have documented roughly 180,000 free-roaming giant tortoises on Aldabra, a remote atoll in the Seychelles, following a decades-long conservation and recovery programme. The population now far exceeds the human population of the Seychelles. The count comes from a survey of the world's largest free-roaming giant tortoise population, a rare conservation success story for a long-lived species once heavily depleted.

Researchers report an estimated 180,000 giant tortoises living on an island in the Seychelles, a striking figure for a species long considered endangered. The finding is being shared lightheartedly as gentle, feel-good environmental news rather than urgent headlines, with commenters noting it makes a pleasant change from heavier stories. The count suggests the population is far larger than previously thought, offering rare good news for conservation efforts.

A new study has produced the largest-ever population estimate for Seychelles' giant tortoises, finding around 180,000 individuals in the wild. The species, once considered threatened, is now described as healthy, marking a notable conservation success for the Indian Ocean archipelago and drawing attention from scientists and wildlife commentators.