Yes, Jonathan the tortoise is still alive, and he's a Guinness icon now

Jonathan the tortoise, the ancient reptile mistakenly declared dead back on April Fools' Day, is not only still alive, but has earned another accolade.

Born before 1832 – thus, he's at least 194 years old – Jonathan is the oldest living land animal and has been named a Guinness World Records Icon, the organization said June 17.

A Seychelles giant tortoise, estimated to have been at least 50 years old in 1882 when he was brought to the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, Jonathan is likely even older as his age is "a conservative estimate," according to Guinness. The average life expectancy of his species is 150.

Jonathan was a gift to the future governor of St. Helena, which is a British Overseas Territory, and has lived on the grounds of the governor's residence, the Plantation House mansion, according to Smithsonian magazine.

In a video posted on social media platform X by Guinness World Records, Jonathan appears to give the GWR Icon award a quick glance and then move on. Later, he's seen munching some carrots.

The oldest-known terrestrial animal, Jonathan was stalking the planet before the first photographs (1838) and telephone calls were made (1876) and before the completion of the Eiffel Tower (1887), Guinness notes.

Amid April Fools' Day earlier this year, there were false claims of Jonathan's death on social media. That didn't seem to bother "Ol' Jono," as he's referred to locally. "He happily spends his days with three other tortoises in the gardens of the Governor’s residence, eating grass and basking in the sunshine," Guinness says.

Jonathan "has met royalty, starred in wedding photographs, and delighted tourists," said Saint Helena Gov. Nigel Phillips in a news release. "He is a symbol of the enduring resilience of this island and its commitment to protecting the environment. It is entirely appropriate that he has as his home the paddock of the Governor’s Residence. He is very much the brightest icon of this jewel in the South Atlantic.”

As one of the Guinness World Records Icons, Jonathan joins "a select group of record-holders whose achievements have transcended their field and inspired people across the globe," Guinness said in the news release.

John Cena, Blackpink and Christina Koch named Guinness World Records Icons

The other Guinness World Records Icons named June 17 by the organization were humans:

John Cena (USA): Most WWE Championship titles (17).

Shohei Otani (Japan): First 50 home run/50 stolen base season (2024).

Christina Koch (USA): Longest spaceflight by a woman - 328 days 13 hours 58 minutes 12 seconds.

Blackpink (South Korea): Most streamed female group on Spotify with 16,941,431,11 streams.

Hilda Baci (Nigeria): Longest cooking marathon – 93 hours and 11 minutes.

Hari Budha Magar MBE (Nepal/United Kingdom): First double above-knee amputee to climb the Seven Summits.

"We're proud to call these extraordinary individuals GWR ICONS. Here are record holders who've transcended theirrecords to become part of global culture," said Craig Glenday, editor in chief at Guinness World Records, in the news release. "It's not always about celebrating that single superlative moment… with the ICONS, it's about recognizing and honouring the long-lasting impact these inspirational people leave on the world."

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.