Jonathan the tortoise recognized as world's oldest living land animal at 194

Jonathan, a giant tortoise living on Saint Helena island, has been named the oldest known land animal on Earth. Guinness World Records says he is around 194 years old.

Jonathan was born in about 1832. He arrived on Saint Helena in the 1880s as a fully grown adult. Most tortoises of his species live to around 150 years, so Jonathan has already lived well beyond the average.

Scientists have studied his DNA and found that he ages much more slowly than most animals. This condition is called negligible senescence.