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San Diego, California – An era has ended at the San Diego Zoo as Gramma, the universally adored Galapagos tortoise and the zoo’s undisputed matriarch, passed away at a jaw-dropping estimated age of 141.
After more than a hundred years spent slowly exploring her leafy world and munching on treats like crisp romaine and juicy cactus, Gramma drew her final breath on November 20, zookeepers confirmed this week.
Gramma began life amid the wilds of the Galapagos Islands before eventually making her way to the states. While the zoo’s records are hazy, it’s believed she journeyed west from the Bronx Zoo sometime between 1928 and 1931, arriving as part of San Diego’s inaugural Galapagos tortoise cohort.
Over her lifetime, this gentle giant bore witness to seismic world changes — surviving a pair of World Wars and outliving twenty different U.S. presidents. Her docile, bashful nature made her a must-see for generations of visitors, many of whom fondly recalled childhood encounters and later brought their own kids for a glimpse of the legendary tortoise.
Over the years, devoted staffers dubbed her “the Queen of the Zoo,” lavishing her with affection and attentive care. In her twilight years, Gramma’s health had declined, as age-related bone issues intensified, prompting the difficult decision to euthanize her, zoo officials stated.
Social media lit up with tributes from fans who reminisced about first meeting Gramma as children and who marveled at her extraordinary longevity. Cristina Park, 69, recounted memories of being just a toddler visiting the zoo and, in a bygone era, even hitching a ride on a mighty tortoise’s shell — now strictly off-limits. The experience inspired her lifelong appreciation for these ancient creatures and a commitment to learning about their preservation.
“It’s mind-boggling to think she lived through so much history and was still there for us,” Park told reporters, echoing the sentiments of many heartbroken admirers.
Galapagos tortoises are well-known for their extraordinary lifespans, routinely passing the 100-year mark in the wild and sometimes living nearly twice that in captivity. For comparison, the record-holder was Harriet, a beloved resident of Australia Zoo, who lived a staggering 175 years after being plucked from her island home as a finger-sized hatchling in 1835. Harriet’s remarkable journey ended in 2006.
Of the 15 distinct subspecies that once roamed the Galapagos, three have already vanished forever, with the remainders teetering on the edge of extinction or deemed highly vulnerable, the International Union for Conservation of Nature notes.
Conservationists have been working overtime since the 1960s to bolster wild populations, releasing more than 10,000 juvenile tortoises bred in captivity, according to the Galapagos Conservancy. Some subspecies, once on death’s door, are now making an improbable comeback.
The species continues to make history in zoos across America. Back in April, the Philadelphia Zoo celebrated its first-ever hatching of four Galapagos tortoise babies — born to centenarian parents. Not to be outdone, Zoo Miami’s 135-year-old Goliath stepped into the spotlight as a first-time father this June.
