World's oldest known tortoise still very much alive despite rumor to the contrary

Jonathan is still kicking — albeit slowly — on the island of St. Helena.

"It was a hoax," Anne Dillon, head of communications on the island, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I can just assure you that he is very much alive."

News of the Seychelles giant tortoise's demise spread rapidly on social media Wednesday.

An account on X (formerly Twitter) falsely claiming to be by Joe Hollins, a veterinarian who worked with the reptile on the island in the south Atlantic Ocean between Africa and Brazil, said he was heartbroken to announce the death of the "gentle giant" that "outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans."

The post quickly accumulated nearly 2 million views through Thursday, mostly an outpouring of condolences.

Hollins later said on Facebook that he didn't even have an X account and something more sinister was afoot.

"There is a hoax — not even an April Fool — going around," Hollins wrote. "The hoaxer is asking for crypto donations. It's a con."

Guinness World Records lists Jonathan as the oldest living land animal and the oldest tortoise ever. He was believed to be about 50 years old when he was brought to St. Helena in 1882.

The St. Helena government sent a photo taken Thursday of Jonathan roaming the grounds of the governor's residence on the island best known as the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled after the British defeated him at Waterloo in 1815. It was where the former emperor of France died in 1821, about a decade before Jonathan is believed to have taken the first steps in what would become a very long life.