Tui Malila

Tu'i Malila was the name of a tortoise given to the royal family of Tonga by captain James Cook. It was a Madagascar Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata).

The Tu'i Malila

Pictured here during the Royal Tour from England (1953)

This particular tortoise was given to the royal family in either 1773 or 1777, the exact date is not known. It remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on May 19, 1965. This means that upon its death, Tu'i Malila was either 188 or 192 years old, but either figure gains it the title of oldest chelonian (tortoise or turtle) ever recorded. It is also the oldest living animal ever known. During the Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Tour of Tonga in 1953, the tortoise was one of the first things shown to the monarch on her official visit to the island nation.