The world’s oldest tortoise has just been outed as gay.
At 186 years old, Jonathan is the oldest inhabitant of the island of St Helena, and may even be the oldest reptile on Earth.
Back in 1991, the French consul, guardian of Longwood, decided to matchmake on behalf of Jonathan.
He brought him another tortoise, named Frederic, and the couple have enjoyed a wonderful 26 years together, and are said to be inseparable.
The only thing is, the female tortoise Frederica may actually be a male tortoise, and has tentatively been rechristened Frederic, The Times reports.
Their keepers only discovered this very recently, when “Frederica” was being treated for lesions to their shell.
Related: Meet our favourite LGBT animals: From Benjy the Bull to gay penguins
Same-sex sexual activity for human beings was only legalised in St Helena in 2001.
Although various anti-discrimination laws were passed in 2009, same-sex marriage is still not permitted in St Helena.
It was however passed in the adjacent islands of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in 2017.
MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.
