Tu'i Malila(1777 – 16 May 1966) was atortoisethat CaptainJames Cookwas traditionally said to have given to the royal family ofTonga.[1]She was a femaleradiated tortoise(Astrochelys radiata) fromMadagascar.[1]Although believed to have been a male during its life, examination after the tortoise's death suggested it was female.[1]
 A photo of Tu'i Malila's preserved body, 2002. | |
| Species | Astrochelys radiata |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Hatched | c. 1777(claimed) Madagascar? |
| Died | May 16, 1966 (agedc.188–189) Tonga |
| Resting place | Royal Palace of Tonga |
The name meansKing Malilain theTongan language.
Life
editAccording to one story, Tu'i Malila was one of a pair of tortoises given by Captain Cook to the Tongan royal family upon his visit to Tonga in July 1777.[2]The other tortoise reportedly died shortly after Cook's visit.[3]This story has been discounted on the basis that Cook made no mention of the event in his journal, although it has been suggested that the tortoise may have been the gift of a member of Cook's crew instead.[1]
According to other sources,George Tupou Iobtained her from a vessel which called inHaʻapaiin the first half of the 19th century.[4]
The tortoise was taken toMuʻa,where it was kept in a compound named Malila, from which it took its name.[3]Around 1921,Sālote Tupou IIImoved the tortoise to theRoyal Palace.[3]Despite being kicked by a horse and run over several times, the tortoise continued its life, although it was left blind and with a badly wounded right-hand side.[3]
DuringQueen Elizabeth II's Royal Tour ofTongain 1953, Tu'i Malila was one of the first animals shown to themonarchon her official visit to the island nation. It appears while being fed by the royal children in theBritish Pathecolour newsreel of the visit.
The tortoise died on 16 May 1966, aged approximately 188 years old.[3]Tu'i Malila was listed for some time in theGuinness Book of World Recordsas the oldest known tortoise. In 2006, a tortoise namedAdwaitawas claimed by an Indian zoo to be 255 years old at the age of its death, but this was never officially confirmed. In 2022,Jonathan,a tortoise living on the south Atlantic island ofSaint Helenaexceeded Tu'i Malila's reported age and is still alive as of 2024.
AReutersdispatch of the tortoise makes an appearance as an epigraph inPhilip K. Dick'sDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abcdRobb, Joan;Tubott, Evan Graham(1971)."Tu'i Malila," Cook's Tortoise "".Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum.8:229–233.ISSN0067-0464.JSTOR42906170.WikidataQ58676901.
- ^"Captain Cook Timeline – Third Voyage 1776 – 1780".Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.Retrieved18 January2012.
- ^abcdeTropicalitiesPacific Islands Monthly,June 1966, p53
- ^"Madison Zoological Museum Collection: Bulletin - New York Zoological Society: [An account of the reptiles inhabiting the Galápagos Islands]".Retrieved3 April2016.
- ^Dunst, A.; Schlensag, S. (2015-04-05).The World According to Philip K. Dick.Springer.ISBN978-1-137-41459-5.