A Galapagos tortoise. A 176-year-old giant tortoise believed to have been studied by famed English naturalist Charles Darwin, has died in Australia after a short illness.(AFP/Don Emmert)
Posted on 06/23/2006 7:01:25 AM PDT by presidio9
A 176-year-old giant tortoise believed to have been studied by famed English naturalist Charles Darwin, has died in Australia after a short illness.
The extremely elderly tortoise, Harriet, was hatched on the Galapagos Islands in 1830 but lived out her final years at Australia Zoo in southeast Queensland where she was the star attraction.
Senior veterinarian John Hangar said the 150-kilogram (330-pound) reptile died on Thursday night after a short illness.
"She had been sick yesterday with, in effect, heart failure," Hangar told ABC radio.
"She had a fairly acute heart attack and thankfully passed away quietly overnight."
Hangar said Harriet, who had made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest living animal, had been credited with helping Darwin pioneer his theory of evolution.
"It's thought she may have been taken off there (Galapagos) by Charles Darwin," he said. "She's spent a period of time in Britain and found herself at the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane from about 1850 or 1860 onwards and eventually she found her way up to Australia Zoo."
Harriet was originally named Harry, as she was mistakenly identified as male, an error which was not rectified for more than a century.
A Galapagos tortoise. A 176-year-old giant tortoise believed to have been studied by famed English naturalist Charles Darwin, has died in Australia after a short illness.(AFP/Don Emmert)
"Dudecrush, we turtles toooootally live to one hundred seventy-URRrrrRGHKK!"
She looks pretty good for 176.
Yeah. Unlike those kicking, screaming turtle deaths.
Very difficult to do CPR on a turtle.
"Harriet was originally named Harry, as she was mistakenly identified as male, an error which was not rectified for more than a century."
___________
She was kinda flat-chested.
That's from when she was an exotic dancer at a place called the South Pole.
I'll be the first to say it. Bush's fault.
A youth, with Harriet in her youth.
"Charles Darwin had brought Harriet and two of her sub-species back to England, in 1835, when she was five years old and about the size of a dinner plate."
I thought about it, but she was in Australia. W. usually gives the Aussies a pass.
The picture has been posted many times before, but your usage, timing and targeting were spot on. Well done!
AHA! Saw this title and guessed that before 10 posts a picture of HT would make the tread.
That's one big bowl of turtle soup.
GORE: "It had to be global warming. She would have lived to at least 176 1/2 if not for those evil SUVs"
Bush lied, turtles died!
Ahh, the benefits of slow and easy living.
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