A giant tortoise thought to be one of the world's oldest creatures has died in a Calcutta zoo, ending a life that spanned much of modern Indian history.
Local lore said Adwaita, the Aldabra tortoise whose name means "the one and only" in the local Bengali language, was some 250 years old. That, however, would have made him much older than the world's oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo's website.
She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.
Calcutta zoo officials, however, insist Adwaita was far older.
More at Source