Meet Jonathan, a Seychelles Giant Tortoise who is the oldest living creature in the world at 187 years of age. Jonathan was born in 1832, meaning that he has seen quite a lot in his lengthy lifetime!

The first photograph ever was taken 18 years before Jonathan was born, and the first photograph of a person was snapped when he was only 6 years-old. The photo below shows Jonathan in 1886, when he was 54 years-old.

Jonathan was 50 when he was brought from his home of Seychelles to Plantation House on the island of Saint Helena, which was still under British rule at the time. At this point, much of the globe was still ruled by Britain, with Canada, India, and Australia all being British territories as a part of the Empire.

Jonathan has taken things slow in life and is very laid back. Scientists have credited this lifestyle for him living so long, as his age is incredibly old even for a tortoise!

Though Jonathan is the oldest animal to be documented by humans, he is likely younger than some living sharks, as Greenland sharks can live to be 500 years of age! He is also undoubtedly younger than trees like the Californian Redwoods, New Zealand’s Kauri trees, and some Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that are estimated to be 4,850 years old.

It’s incredible to think of all of the things that Jonathan has seen in his lifetime. When he was born, Andrew Jackson was president, and Texas was still part of Mexico! We wish Jonathan a very happy birthday and many more birthdays to come!