The personal turtle of Robert Clive has died. What makes this special is that both Mr. Clive and his turtle were born before the American War of Independence. That is right...the turtle lived for a quarter of a millennia.
Fans of the wonderful G.A. Henty historical fiction may be familiar with the classic With Clive in India, which details the exploits of the famous British military officer Robert Clive and his daring adventures in India during the middle of the 18th century. Though Henty does not mention the turtle, zoo officials at the Kolkata zoo indicate that he was brought to the zoo 130 years ago. Additional evidence from original sources indicates that he is more than 250 years old.
The giant Aldabra tortoise died of liver failure. It is believed that Aldabra tortoises are the longest lived of all animals.
If turtles could talk.