Jonathon is 186 years old, and lives at the Governor's House in St Helena. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

Jonathon is 186 years old, and lives at the Governor's House in St Helena. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images) Source: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images

Carers of 186-year-old giant tortoise Jonathon had long wondered why he'd had never procreated – until a vet realised that his mate of 26 years, Frederica, was also male.

Jonathon, a 186-year-old giant tortoise living in St. Helena is believed to be the oldest land creature on Earth.

The tortoise arrived on St Helena, a British territory off the coast of southern Africa, in his thirties as a gift for the governor. He has now outlived the regular life expectancy for giant tortoises by nearly 3 decades.

According to the Evening Standard, Jonathon started becoming aggressive and restless in the '80s – he would reportedly knock over benches, and interrupt the cricket games that would regularly occur in the front lawn of the Governor's House.

Vets determined that Jonathon was in need of a mate, so his carers went in search of a girlfriend in hopes of calming him down.

Jonathon and his mate Frederica have now been together since 1991, and locals have been baffled as to why the pair have never procreated in their 26-year-long relationship.

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This photo is believed to be of Jonathon the giant tortoise, around 1900.

Source: Wikipedia / Public Domain.

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But recently, a vet came to treat a lesion on Frederica's shell and realised that the tortoise actually showed signs of being male.

Sex is often hard to determine in giant tortoises, so experts currently await the final decision on whether Jonathon's long-term mate is male or female.

Island vet Catherine Man said that while elderly Jonathon has cataracts and has lost his sense of smell due to age, the couple were happy; they're creatures of habit, eating and sleeping regular set times, and living off a healthy diet of vegetable scraps and vitamins.

