Timothy (turtle)
Timothy (* around 1844 ; † April 4, 2004 at Powderham Castle near Exeter ) was a turtle and mascot of the British military . The widely famous reptile was also known as Timothy the Tortoise .
Life
The Moorish tortoise Timothy was found on a boarded Portuguese privateer by Captain John Courtenay Everard , RN , in 1854 and has since traveled as a mascot on the HMS Queen , a ship that was used in the Crimean War in 1854 and bombed Sevastopol with artillery .
Timothy later switched to the frigate HMS Princess Charlotte and HMS Nankin . In 1892 Timothy William Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon , was left, in whose rose garden at Powderham Castle the turtle had lived since 1935.
When an attempt was made to mate Timothy in 1926, the turtle was found to be female. Despite this useful finding, all attempts at pairing were unsuccessful. Despite the fact that the turtle was female, the then Earl of Devon did not change the name Timothy and even continued to use the masculine pronoun he in reference to the animal.
On the underside of her tank was the family motto, which is said to go back to Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon , who was imprisoned in the Tower as a child : Where have I fallen? What have I done? ("Where did I fall? What did I do?").
The British revered the turtle as "the oldest British". Timothy has been honored with various medals and orders for her service as the navy mascot .
Timothy was said to be able to recognize or distinguish human voices.
For the past few years, the animal has had a small sign that read the following note: My name is Timothy. I am very old - please do not pick me up. ("My name is Timothy. I am very old - please do not pick me up .")
In the last year of its life, after hibernating, the turtle appeared in February as usual, but suffered from colds that developed into breathing problems. Timothy died on the night of April 4, 2004 at the age of 160 in the garden of Powderham Castle , where her grave is located.
literature
- Rory K. Bruce: Timothy the Tortoise. The remarkable story of the Nation's oldest pet . Orion Publishing, London 2004, ISBN 0-7528-6872-1
- Verlyn Klinkenborg: Timothy or Notes of an abject reptile . Tantor Media, New York 2006, ISBN 1-4001-3255-X (1 CD) (refers to the turtle of the scholar Gilbert White who died in 1794)
- Verlyn Klinkenborg: Timothy's book. Notes of an English country tortoise . Portobello Books, London 2006, ISBN 1-84627-055-3 (ditto)