Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise, has died at 193 years old. He was gay and lived through 2 world wars.

Question

Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise, has died at 193 years old

He was gay and lived through two world wars and 40 US presidents

Answer 1

The claim states that Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise, has died at the age 193 and he was gay and lived through two world wars. This claim is misleading and also partly false. 

First, the claim that Jonathan the tortoise has died is false. According to the news reporters on CNN, Jonathan is still alive. They have talked to St. Helena about Jonathan and they have taken and sent photos of him roaming the island. According to LondonAP — “ Reports on April Fools’ Day of the death of the world’s oldest living land animal — a 193-year-old tortoise called Jonathan — were greatly exaggerated.” It was just a rumor that he died, but he is still alive and going strong. CNN is a reliable news source because it reports accurate news and interviews official sources. 

Second, the part that he lived through two world wars is true. He was brought to the island when he was 50 in 1882 that means he was born in 1832. This means he has lived through both World War I and World War II.

Finally, them saying that Jonathan is “gay” is not a scientific fact, it is what people have thought and decided to say. So this statement is neither true or false; it's more seen as an opinion. 

Overall the claim is misleading because it gives both true and false information. This makes it confusing to readers to be able to believe what they are reading. 

Comments

Agree, your fact-check is really strong and well-organized. You did a great job breaking the claim into parts and evaluating each one, rather than treating it as all true or all false. I especially like how you used credible sources and explained why something is misleading, not just whether it is. Your point about the “gay” label being more of an interpretation than a scientific fact adds nice depth.

Answer 2

From my research, Johnathon, the world’s oldest Tortoise is still alive and well. Johnathons vet, Joe Hollins commented that he believes a fake account had been created on X claiming to be himself, and asking people for crypto while falsely claiming that: “‘Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on Saint Helena.”’

My primary source is BBC’s “World's oldest known tortoise still alive, as reports of death revealed as hoax” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c393xmpzjwko The article explains that the governor of St. Helena, the island where Johnathon resides, reached out to BBC through email to confirm that “ Jonathan is very much alive”, and BBC has also contacted Joe Hollins to comment on the situation. 

My secondary source is The Guardian's “World’s oldest tortoise caught in viral crypto death scam” posted April second, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/02/worlds-oldest-tortoise-crypto-death-scam

This article gathered a statement from the real Joe Hollins who does not have his own twitter account: “Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive. I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it’s not even an April fool joke. It’s a con.” The Guardian also shares that when the governor of St. Helena was made aware of this fake message, “He got up and searched the grounds to check on the tortoise. ‘“Jonathan is asleep under a tree in the paddock,”’ he told the Guardian, adding that the animal was “‘very much alive”’.

Answer 3

Jonathon is real and is claimed to be 190+ years old, making him the oldest known living land animal. He has lived through significant historical events, such as World Wars I and II, and many U.S. presidencies. This part is true, although. There have been no reliable sources or evidence that suggest that he has died or the claims that he is "gay"; this tends to be misleading for readers and can suggest false accusations. While he has been observed with other male tortoises, many scientists do not apply human labels to animal species such as this, especially regarding sexual orientation. Many sources include this, so this information can be misleading for some.

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/07/1141180557/jonathan-tortoise-birthday-190

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/is-worlds-oldest-tortoise-gay-jonathan-comes-out-of-his-shell-as-keepers-realise-partner-of-26years-is-actually-male-a3663421.html

Comments

Great answer! i did not know about scientists generally not applying sexual orientations to animals. i do find it somewhat confusing that you have posted that claim without a source though... i think claiming that he isnt gay could be considered just as misleading as claiming he is.

Answer 4

According to my findings, the main claim stated in the fact check is false. That being that Jonathan the tortoise has died. He is still alive today, as of April 8th 2026. the false claim has been originally spread by someone impersonating Joe Hollins, Jonathan the tortoise's veterinarian on X (formerly Twitter). This false reporting and impersonation seems to be in an attempt to con people with a crypto scam, though the impersonators account has since been deleted. This claim was then picked up by Dexerto, and infamously untrustworthy news group, and eventually brought to this board.

While primary sources appear to not be publicly available, an interview with the real Joe Hollins from USA today corroborate Jonathans good health. Additionally an interview from BBC with Nigel Phillips, the governor of St Helena, where Jonathan resides also assures us of his well being.

A report from USA today reveals this con, via a direct interview with the real Joe Hollins.

The BBC also corroborates these findings, with the additional interview with the governor of St Helena: Nigel Phillips.

The claim that the tortoise is gay are corroborated though, with Jonathans long term partner being found male in veterinary visit. Along side this, the claim that he has livid through the specified times also check out, with Jonathan having a photograph on record from 1882 of the tortoise being fully grown, causing experts to estimate his age at about 50 at the time.

the sources used: the BBC, USA TODAY, and Britannica are considered trustworthy sources according to my findings.

Answer 5

Based on my findings, the claim that Jonathon, the oldest turtle, is dead is a hoax that originated on social media. 
The governor of St. Helena, Nigel Philips, has spoken out and said this claim is disinformation and that the turtle is very much alive. Additionally, the turtle's vet, Joe Hollins, also denied this claim. 

According to the BBC, in an article by Anna Lamche she reports that, "An account on X that had purported to belong to Joe Hollins, a vet who has previously cared for Jonathan, posted that the tortoise had died on the island of St Helena at an estimated age of 193." In the article, they found out that the account was trying to get people's donations by pretending to be the vet. This account was asking for money and conning the public. 

Both of my primary sources are pretty much unbiased, as they are solely letting the public know that this rumor is false, and their turtle is alive. 

A post on the social media platform X, which is known for commonly spreading misinformation. 

 

Comments

Always provide source link URLs with your fact-checks. Thanks!

Answer 6

Think of this as your investigation log. Answer each question to explain what you discovered and how you got there.

1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings. I found out that these claims had no basis, and seem to be a ploy to solicit crypto donations. 
2. What primary sources did you find (e.g., transcripts, videos of politician speeches, tweets from public figures, scientific studies)? For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links. All the reputable sources that reported a correction of the events (CNN, BBC, SkyNews) cited either Joe Hollins' Facebook or an official statement from Nigel Phillips, both of which have had direct contact with the tortoise in the last days. I learned that they are both aware of the situation in the media, and said he had no prior signs of poor health and is actively alright. https://news.sky.com/story/jonathan-the-giant-tortoise-the-worlds-oldest-living-land-animal-is-alive-after-getting-caught-up-in-alleged-crypto-scam-13527112

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c393xmpzjwko

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/03/world/oldest-tortoise-alive-despite-rumor-intl-hnk

https://www.facebook.com/joe.hollins.750/photos/this-is-a-hoaxthere-is-a-hoax-not-even-an-april-fool-going-around-in-x-with-amer/10167131011988368/
3. What secondary sources did you find (e.g., newspapers, magazines)? Only use secondary sources if sufficient primary sources are not available. For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have? I would say the only main motivation of these articles was to warn people of a potential scam. 
5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking? None. 
6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking? Direct statements from two people who have regular contact with the tortoise. 
7. What happened when you tried contacting the person or group who made the original claim? (Always try to contact them—it’s okay if you don’t get a reply. For example, if the claim is that the president said something, try reaching out to the administration. If it was a Bluesky user, message that user on Bluesky.) I did not receive a response. 

Answer 7

The claim that Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise has died was false. I first investigated the primary source provided. The original claim came from a Bluesky post by Dexerto, that is a media account that had gone viral. However, the post did not have any strong evidence or any confirmation from official sources, making it less reliable. There also had been reports that a fake account has been pretending to be Jonathan's veterinarians spread the rumor and asked for cryptocurrency donations which can may have been a scam. 

Next, I had found better coverage from trusted news organizations like BBC News and the Associated Press. These sources are more reliable because they follow journalistic standards and do confirm information before publishing. The BBC article (http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c393xmpzjwko) explains that the officials from St. Helena confirmed tortoise is still alive. The Associated Press is reported similarly (https://apnews.com/article/oldest-tortoise-death-hoax-jonathan-22e2960833b112c3b873e1ce4b089c20), stating that Jonathan is "very much alive" based on direct statement from people on the island that is responsible for his care. These sources are trustworthy because they got their information from the government officials and verified interviews and not social media rumors.

Lastly, I traced the claim back to the original content. The false information came from a fake post that was widely shared without the facts being verified, Comparing this to official statements from St. Helena, it is clean the original claim was misleading and taken out of context. 

Some parts are true like Jonathan being born around 1832, living through two world wars, and many U.S presidents. However, the main claim about him dying was not true. Overall the original post was false.

Answer 8

Though Jonathan has indeed lived through two world wars, the notion of his death is in fact, false.  The tortoise is alive and well.  According to a news article from the BBC, Jonothan is still very much alive; the post claiming otherwise was posted as a hoax on April Fool's Day.  Additionally, it is claimed that this information was a part of a crypto scam, where the fake account was impersonating Joe Hollins.  Unfortunately for the impersonators, the real Joe Hollins doesn't have an X account.  The false account was trying to solicit crypto donations for support during the supposed death of Jonothan.  As for the claim of Jonothan's sexuality, I find it difficult to prove or deny said belief -- Jonothan cannot exactly tell us himself, and he holds the only opinion that matters in this situation.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c393xmpzjwko

Answer 9

The claim is mostly false because Johnathan is still alive 

Primary source: Guinness World Records https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-living-land-animal

Secondary source: BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64518045

The tortoise is extremely old and has lived through many big historical events.

Reliable sources found confirm he is not dead. 

Answer 10

Though Jonothan the tortoise has indeed lived through two world wars and 40 US presidents, being born in the 1800s, it is decidedly false to claim that he is dead.  Jonothan is very much alive.  According to the BBC, Jonothan's supposed death announcement on X -- formerly known as Twitter -- was a crypto scam, as well as an April Fool's Day prank.  Regarding the crypto scam bit, the fake X account was impersonating a man named Joe Hollins.  Unfortunately for the scammers, Joe Rollins reportedly does not have an X account.  

As for the claim to Jonothan's sexual status, I would argue that that kind of claim is iffy at best.  Although his partner did turn out to be male and it's possible that tortoises can "mate" with the same gender, it is impossible to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jonothan is gay, for the only one who can tell us that is Jonothan himself.  Considering Jonothan's lack of human communication skills, as well as the human behavioral terms being applied to his alleged sexuality, we may never know the true answer to this claim.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c393xmpzjwko