World’s oldest known land animal alive after viral death hoax fools thousands

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The world’soldest land animal,Jonathan the tortoise, is still alive after a viral hoax falsely claimed he’d died.

The confusion began after apost on Xfalsely claimed the giant tortoise had died at age 193.

The account, which impersonated Jonathan’s veterinarian, Joe Hollins, quickly gained traction and sparked concern among fans around the world.That claim, however, was not true.

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“Yes, he’s still alive,” the X user wrote hours later.“This was just anApril Fools’ prank.”

The real Joe Hollins also stepped in to respond.

Jonathan the oldest land animal walking slowly across a grassy field.

Jonathan, shown here, is still alive despite a viral false claim on X that he had died.(Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images)

“Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive,” his veterinarian, Joe Hollins, toldUSA Today.

He added that the fake account appeared to be part of a scam — and was even attempting to collect cryptocurrency donations.

Seychelles giant tortoise, continues to live on the island of St.Helena, a remote British territory in the South Atlantic Ocean where he has spent most of his life, according to St.Helena’s government website.