一只名叫哈里特的体态巨大的加拉帕戈斯陆龟是世界上现存的最长寿的动物之一。11月15日，哈里特在澳大利亚北部它“退休”后的居所迎来了自己175岁的生日。
    据路透社11月15日报道，当天，哈里特收到了人们送给它的生日蛋糕。“退休”前哈里特曾在澳大利亚动物园里度过了17年时光。“退休”后，它就“居住”在澳大利亚北部的一所房子里。

    澳大利亚动物园负责人表示，这只加拉帕戈斯陆龟是在1835年时由科学家查尔斯·达尔文在加拉帕戈斯群岛发现的，当时它只有5岁。但对于这一说法，其他一些历史学家却有着不同的观点。尽管人们对哈里特是否是由达尔文发现的这一问题争论不休，然而在哈里特的年龄问题上是不存在争议的。哈里特已得到了《吉尼斯世界纪录》的认可，被认为是世界上现存的年龄最大的龟。

    报道说，过去100多年来，发生在哈里特身上的事情并不算少。在一个多世纪的时间里，原本为雌性的哈里特曾被认为是一只雄性陆龟，并被人们称为“哈里”。

    One of the world's oldest living animals, Harriet the tortoise, celebrated her 175th birthday on Tuesday -- with a pink hibiscus flower cake at her retirement home in northern Australia.

    Australia Zoo, where Harriet has spent the past 17 years, says the Giant Galapagos Land Tortoise was collected by scientist Charles Darwin in 1835, although some historians have disputed this.

    There is no doubt however over the age of Harriet -- who for more than a century was thought to be a male and named Harry -- and she is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living chelonian, or reptile with a shell of bony plates.

    "She would definitely be the oldest living animal on Earth ... I can't see why she shouldn't live till 200," Australian conservationist and television celebrity Steve Irwin, who owns Australia Zoo north of the city of Brisbane, told Guinness World Records.