One hundred thirty years is a long time to live, even for a tortoise. This past week the reptile community lost of one their ancient giants: Methuselah, a 130-year-old Galapagos Tortoise, passed away quietly at Reptile Gardens in South Dakota.

Originally named Earl, he was born in 1881 on the Galapagos Islands and joined the Reptile Gardens family in the 1954. I had the pleasure to meet him and his yard mates, Quasi and Tank, last summer on our family trip to the Gardens. Both Tank and Methuselah were exceptionally friendly and they loved to have their long necks scratched. Both also loved dogs; who knew!

From the Reptile Gardens blog post on his passing:

Those of us who worked with the tortoises on a daily basis learned each one’s personality, their habits, preferences, and behaviors. Methuselah, honestly, always had the most personality. He was smart and knew how to get what he wanted. He could be cunning even. Sometimes you could tell he was thinking, as though he was formulating some plan.

Farewell, Methuselah! It was a pleasure to have known you. You were a great ambassador for reptiles everywhere.

Photo: Reptile Gardens Curator of Reptiles, Terry Phillip, and Methuselah share a quiet moment on our vacation in July 2010.