Galápagos Tortoise Gramma Dies at Age 141 in San Diego Zoo

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Gramma, the beloved Galápagos tortoise and oldest resident of the San Diego Zoo, has died at the age of 141. She passed away on November 20, 2025, due to age-related bone conditions, according to zoo officials.

Gramma was originally brought to the San Diego Zoo from the Bronx Zoo between 1928 and 1931, shortly after the zoo opened in 1923. During her long life, she saw significant historical events, including two world wars and 20 U.S. presidents.

Known for her sweet and shy personality, Gramma became a favorite among zoo visitors, earning the affectionate nickname “the Queen of the Zoo” from her caregivers. Her care team shared that she especially enjoyed eating romaine lettuce and cactus fruit, which were her favorite foods.

Zoo officials announced her passing on social media, encouraging fans to enjoy a “generous, fruit-filled salad” in her memory as a tribute to her remarkable life.

Many visitors took to social media to share their memories of visiting Gramma throughout the years. Cristina Park, 69, recounted her experience of visiting the zoo as a child, where she once rode on the back of a tortoise. “Just how amazing it is that they managed to live through so much, and yet they’re still there,” Park said.

Galápagos tortoises are known to live for over a century in the wild and nearly double that in captivity. Conservation efforts have been underway for decades to protect the population of these unique tortoises. More than 10,000 juveniles have been released into the wild since 1965, helping various subspecies recover from the brink of extinction.

Gramma’s life is a poignant reminder of the importance of conservation efforts for endangered species. The oldest recorded Galápagos tortoise was named Harriet, who passed away at 175, having been collected from the Galápagos Islands in 1835.