San Diego, California – An era has ended at the San Diego Zoo as Gramma, the universally adored Galapagos tortoise and the zoo’s undisputed matriarch, passed away at a jaw-dropping estimated age of 141.
After more than a hundred years spent slowly exploring her leafy world and munching on treats like crisp romaine and juicy cactus, Gramma drew her final breath on November 20, zookeepers confirmed this week.
Gramma began life amid the wilds of the Galapagos Islands before eventually making her way to the states. While the zoo’s records are hazy, it’s believed she journeyed west from the Bronx Zoo sometime between 1928 and 1931, arriving as part of San Diego’s inaugural Galapagos tortoise cohort…