frogfish Posted June 24, 2006 #1 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Harriet the Tortoise dies at 175 175th birthday bash Harriet the tortoise, one of the world's oldest known living creatures, has died in Australia aged about 175. Senior vet Dr John Hangar told Australia's ABC that Harriet, a Giant Galapagos tortoise, had died of heart failure after a short illness. "She had a very fairly acute heart attack and thankfully passed away quietly overnight," Dr Hangar said. Last year staff at Australia Zoo, where Harriet had lived for 17 years, held a party to celebrate her 175th birthday. Some people believe that Harriet was studied by British naturalist Charles Darwin. Darwin took several young Giant Galapagos tortoises back to London after his epic voyage on board HMS Beagle. DNA testing has suggested the giant creature was born around 1830, a few years before Darwin visited the Galapagos archipelago in 1835. However, Harriet belonged to a sub-species of tortoise only found on an island that Darwin never visited. At the time of her 175th birthday party, Harriet weighed 150kg (23 stone) and was roughly the size of a dinner table. She was the star attraction at the Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Her keepers put her longevity down to a stress-free life. Link ---------------------- What a beautiful creature. Tis a sad day. I heard Steve Irwin was devastated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idriss Posted June 24, 2006 #2 Share Posted June 24, 2006 wow that's amazing at 175 years old! i heard that they can live for much longer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogfish Posted June 24, 2006 Author #3 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I also heard that Steve Irwin lost a 200+ yr old female croc a couple years back. He was in tears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idriss Posted June 24, 2006 #4 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I also heard that Steve Irwin lost a 200+ yr old female croc a couple years back. He was in tears yeah he loves those snakes, crocs and turtles it's amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosanchero Posted June 24, 2006 #5 Share Posted June 24, 2006 this really is sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor_Strangelove Posted June 24, 2006 #6 Share Posted June 24, 2006 R.I.P Harriet When i first heard of her I was impressed, what a sad day. She was also a piece of history, Charles Darwin! Poor Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urisk Posted June 24, 2006 #7 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I also heard that Steve Irwin lost a 200+ yr old female croc a couple years back. He was in tears That's understandable though. Still, some age! Sorry to hear about Harriet though. RKD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted June 24, 2006 #8 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I also heard that Steve Irwin lost a 200+ yr old female croc a couple years back. He was in tears Wow, I didn't know crocodiles could live for so long aswell. Must of had an interesting life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indeed Posted June 24, 2006 #9 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Ive seen her quite a few times and have pics of her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot_Is_Real Posted June 24, 2006 #10 Share Posted June 24, 2006 yes this is sad however there might be another Darwin Tortoise we don't know about But if that tortoise could talk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AztecInca Posted June 25, 2006 #11 Share Posted June 25, 2006 Interestingly enough, Harriet was believed to be a male for around 100 years. It seems no one had been bothered to check until relatively recently. R.I.P Harriet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogfish Posted June 26, 2006 Author #12 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Wow, I didn't know crocodiles could live for so long aswell. She was captured from the river around the age of 180... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idriss Posted June 26, 2006 #13 Share Posted June 26, 2006 She was captured from the river around the age of 180... so that explains it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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