Jonathan the tortoise is alive! World's oldest land animal caught in bizarre crypto death hoax

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle meeting Jonathan the tortoise during his visit to St Helena in February 2024 - (PA)

A giant tortoise that is the world’s oldest land animal has been caught in a bizarre crypto “death” hoax.

Reports emerged overnight that Jonathan, estimated to be 193 years old, had died on the island of St Helena after an X profile posing as the animal’s former vet, Joe Hollins, posted that the animal had “passed away peacefully”.