Tu'i Malila

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image of the preserved body, 2003

Tuʻi Malila (* before 1778 ; † May 19, 1965 ) was the name of a turtle that the royal family of Tonga received according to tradition from Captain James Cook . These were a radiated tortoise ( Astrochelys radiata ) from Madagascar .

The donation by Cook is said to have been made in 1777 during his third South Sea voyage. During a visit by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1953, Queen Salote presented the two of them with the turtle as the "oldest inhabitant of their kingdom". The animal lived with the royal family until its natural death on May 19, 1965. According to this information, Tu'i Malila would have been at least 188 years old. It was therefore considered the oldest of all turtles and at the same time of all terrestrial vertebrates , until the age of the Indian giant tortoise Adwaita became known in 2006 , which was probably 255 years old.

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c The Royal Tour 1953 at tongaturismo.info (en)
  2. ↑ Matt Fletcher, Nancy Keller: Tonga. Your passport to a Polynesian paradise, Lonely Planet, Melbourne / London 2001, ISBN 1-740-59061-9 (page 92)