Jan. 31/2018

Feature:

Could the World’s Oldest Living Land Creature Be Gay?

“At 186 years old, Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, is believed to be the oldest living land creature on Earth. He’s spent most of his life on the British colony island of Saint Helena where, since 1991, he’s enjoyed the company of Frederica, an Aldabra giant tortoise.

Before Jonathan met Frederica, the tortoise was a bit of an 500-pound terror…

To help mellow Jonathan out, he was introduced to Frederica, & the 2 seemed to hit it off. They eat their meals at regular times & take daily afternoon naps in the island’s tall grass…

Jonathan & Frederica have not produced any offspring during their 26 years together…

Male tortoises typically have a plastron- a concave indent- on the lower part of their shells so they can mount females. During recent surgery to repair a legion on Frederica’s shell, island veterinarian Catherine Man discovered she has a plastron…

Or does she? Because of Frederica’s slightly deformed shell, Man told Fox News it’s difficult to determine whether or not the tortoise, who’s now called Frederic, is male or female.

Jonathan has already far outlived the average 150-year lifespan of a Seychelles giant tortoise. While he’s lost his eyesight & sense of smell, he can still hear well. And he’s still enjoying a healthy sex life. There are 2 other female tortoises on St. Helena, yet Jonathan seems to prefer the company of Frederic. Does this really mean he’s gay?

Same-sex relationships are not all that uncommon in animals. They’ve been observed in more than 450 species around the world. These relationships have evolutionary advantages for animals in the wild, according to Yale Scientific, which explains that same-sex pairing ‘curtails the pressure on the opposite sex by allowing members to exhibit more flexibility to form partnerships, which in turn strengthens social bonds & reduces competition.’

As for tortoises, males aren’t particularly discerning when it comes to their partners… The mostly male population was observed mounting males more often than females…

…As Joe Hollins, St. Helena’s former veterinarian, said…

‘I’m not sure he would really know whether he was satisfying his libidinous desires on top of a male tortoise or a female tortoise,’ Hollins told Fox News. ‘He, like most animals, has his erogenous zones & hopefully it gives the old fellow great pleasure either way. And at 186 years of age, I applaud him. It is an enviable feat.’

Laura Goldman

Oct. 31/2017

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