New Delhi, April 2 -- The word is that the world's oldest known tortoise, Jonathan, is dead. However, his caretaker has dismissed the claims, calling them a "hoax".

According to media reports, citing Joe Hollins' X social media, Jonathan, who is believed to be over 193 years old, had died.

"Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world's oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on St Helena," the post said. "This gentle giant outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans."

However, Robert Midgley, Spokesperson at British Overseas, called out the social media post, saying that Jonathan was alive and the verified X account was not the real Joe Hollins' account.

"We've been in touch with Joe (who isn't ...