On April 1, 2026, millions of people around the globe mourned the supposed death of Jonathan the giant tortoise, the oldest known living land animal on Earth. The grief was real. The death announcement? Completely fake. And behind it all was a cryptocurrency scam that managed to trick some of the biggest news outlets on the planet.
- Jonathan became the face of a viral cryptocurrency scam that tricked some of the world’s largest news organizations.
- The fake post was seen by at least two million people and was picked up by major news outlets before the hoax was debunked.
- Saint Helena’s governor stepped outside after dark to confirm Jonathan was alive and well.
How the Hoax Unfolded
The scheme started with a fraudulent X account using the handle “@JoeHollinsVet,” claiming to be Jonathan’s veterinarian. The post described years of caring for the tortoise, feeding him bananas, and watching him bask in the sun. It was emotional, detailed, and entirely fabricated. The post quickly accumulated nearly two million views within 24 hours, mostly an outpouring of condolences.
News outlets including the BBC, Daily Mail, and USA Today falsely reported his death after the X account posing as Jonathan’s vet broke the news. The plausibility was part of the problem. Jonathan is, after all, about 194 years old. One day the news of his passing will be real. On April 1, though, it wasn’t. Whether you’re reading the news in New York, London, or Amarillo, the story spread like wildfire.
The fake account also included requests for cryptocurrency donations, turning the story into a full-scale online scam rather than a simple hoax. The market cap of a Jonathan-themed token shot up 376% from $25,000 to $119,000 during the false posts.
The Governor’s Late-Night Search
Nigel Phillips, the governor of St. Helena, was getting ready for bed on Wednesday night when he was inundated with anxious messages. He got up and searched the grounds to check on the tortoise. In an NPR interview, the governor said his wife “very kindly went out into the paddock in the pitch dark to look for him, and he was indeed under a bush, where he normally is, and was perfectly happy.”
Meanwhile, the real Joe Hollins, who does not even use X, confirmed the story was a total fabrication. According to The Guardian, the fraudulent account was tracked back to Brazil. One telltale clue? The post spelled “honor” without the British “u,” something Hollins said he would never do.
The following morning, the governor’s staff photographed Jonathan beside an iPad displaying a BBC story about his supposed death as proof that he was still alive. Phillips quoted Mark Twain, noting that “the report of my death was an exaggeration.” He added that Jonathan is old enough to have actually enjoyed the original first editions of Twain’s work.
Who Is Jonathan the Tortoise?
Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa). His age is estimated to be 193 as of 2026, making him the oldest known living land animal. He resides on the island of Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. He was brought to Saint Helena from the Seychelles in 1882, along with three other tortoises at about 50 years of age.
Hatched in the 1830s, he has outlived seven British monarchs and 36 U.S. presidents, roaming the grounds of the governor’s mansion on the island of Saint Helena. He was named in the 1930s by Governor Sir Spencer Davis. St. Helena island has an official protocol called “Operation Go Slow” for Jonathan’s eventual passing, which includes a national day of mourning and a formal obituary.
Despite being blind from cataracts and having lost his sense of smell, Jonathan remains hale and hearty with a strong appetite for bananas. His residence at Plantation House is shared with three companion tortoises: Emma, David, and Fredrik. Jonathan’s diet is made up of grass, hay, and seasonal fruits and vegetables, including apples, pears, bananas, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers.
A Growing Problem With Crypto Fraud
In these scams, fake accounts impersonate trusted people and spread fabricated death announcements to solicit cryptocurrency donations or drive interest in a digital token. Blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis found that cryptocurrency scam losses hit an all-time high of $17 billion throughout 2025. Individual scam transactions increased by 253% to an average of $2,764.
The scam has rocked the community on the small island of roughly 4,440 people, where the tortoise is a local celebrity. A spokesperson for the St. Helena government confirmed to Guinness World Records that Jonathan is “alive and well.” They called the false claims of his death “terrible.”
Jonathan’s Not Going Anywhere Just Yet
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that millions of people learned about (or were reminded of) a truly special animal. His vet Hollins called him “an extraordinary zoological specimen” and noted that he is “not only the oldest living land animal, but frankly, in modern science and human history, the oldest known living animal.” Jonathan has already far surpassed the 150 years that members of his species usually live. And his vet has one wish: “May he make his 200th.”
Sarah Johnson