Oldest resident of San Diego Zoo, Gramma the Galapagos tortoise, dies at estimated 141 years old
Gramma, the San Diego Zoo’s oldest living tortoise, passed away on Nov. 20 at nearly 141 years old, surrounded by her favorite romaine lettuce and cactus fruit.
Born on the Galápagos Islands and originally shipped to the Bronx Zoo in the late 1920s, she later made the zoo her home and earned the affectionate nickname “the Queen of the Zoo.”
Although she endured age‑related bone problems that eventually required euthanasia, her gentle, shy presence had delighted generations of visitors—many of whom shared nostalgically on social media how their first trip to the zoo as children, and later as parents, was centered around reinnewing walks with her.
Cristina Park, now 69, recalled a childhood memory of riding the back of a tortoise at the zoo, an experience that inspired her to keep a pet desert tortoise and learn more about conservation.
Galápagos tortoises can live over a century in the wild and often more than twice that in captivity, exemplified by Harriet, who lived at Australia Zoo until 175 and died in 2006 after being collected in 1835.
Today, 15 subspecies of Galápagos tortoise exist—three extinct and the rest vulnerable or critically endangered per the IUCN—yet concerted breeding efforts have released over 10,000 juveniles to the wild since 1965, rescuing several subspecies from the brink of extinction.
Recent milestones include Philadelphia Zoo’s first‑time parents, each about 100 years old, welcoming four newborns in April, and Zoo Miami’s Goliath becoming a first‑time father at 135 in June.
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