Adwaita
| Species | Aldabra giant tortoise |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | c. 1750 Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles |
| Died | 22 March 2006 (aged 255–256) Alipore Zoological Gardens, Kolkata, India |
| Known for | Believed to be the oldest terrestrial animal in the world, if verified. |
| Weight | 250 kg (551 lb) |
Adwaita (meaning "one and only" in Sanskrit) (c. 1750 – 22 March 2006), also spelled Addwaita, was a male Aldabra giant tortoise. When he died, he was thought to be one of the longest-living animals in the world.
He may have come from Aldabra, in the Seychelles, although this has not been confirmed.[1] He and four other tortoises lived at Robert Clive's estate in Barrackpore, Calcutta.[2] It was said that Clive got the tortoises after he won the Battle of Plassey in 1757.[3] Carl Louis Schwendler, the founder of Alipore Zoo, moved Adwaita there in 1875 or 1876.[4] Adwaita lived there until he died on 22 March 2006 when he was about 255 years old.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Life (2014). "Aldabra Tortoise (Geochelone gigantean)". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ BBC News – South Asia (23 March 2006). "'Clive of India's' tortoise dies". BBC News. BBC Online. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ↑ Lal, Vinay (April 2006). "Clive and his Pet Tortoise". MANAS, UCLA Social Sciences. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ↑ "Zoological Garden". Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal: 23–24. February 1876.