Adwaita

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.

Adwaita
SpeciesAldabra giant tortoise
SexMale
Hatchedc. 1750
Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles
Died22 March 2006 (aged 255–256)
Alipore Zoological Gardens, Kolkata, India
Known forBelieved to be the oldest terrestrial animal in the world, if verified.
Weight250 kg (551 lb)

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

  1. Encyclopedia of Life (2014). "Aldabra Tortoise (Geochelone gigantean)". Encyclopedia of Life.  
  2. BBC News – South Asia (23 March 2006). 'Clive of India's' tortoise dies. BBC Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4837988.stm. Retrieved 23 January 2014. 
  3. Lal, Vinay (April 2006). "Clive and his Pet Tortoise". MANAS, UCLA Social Sciences. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. "Zoological Garden". Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal: 23–24. February 1876.