A middle-aged male interacts with a giant tortoise, holding lettuce for feeding. The scene is set outdoors within an animal enclosure on a clear day. 26:10
Jay Prehistoric Pets channel icon Jay Prehistoric PetsOriginal creator 45M views Save

Bananas for a 104-year-old Galapagos tortoise

Jay Brewer feeds his way through a whole ranch of animals, then meets the one who outranks them all. The Galapagos tortoise in front of him is 104 years old and wants bananas. more

The day starts at Blake's Exotic Animal Ranch, where Blake has the food laid out and Jay piles fruit, vegetables, meat and bread into one big bowl. First stop is a pen shared by cranes, turkeys, Nigerian dwarf goats and a pig. The pig wants no part of the newcomer, and Jay has a guess why. “He saw me and he's like, that guy has snakes that can eat me. I'm out of here.”

From there it is a tour of everyone else who lives on the ranch. A Burmese black tortoise and a young Galapagos tortoise get fed. A big lizard named Godzilla gets picked up by his thick tail and turns out to be a full handful.

There are giant fish, a batch of red-foot tortoise babies who have only just hatched, and a spectacled owl who seems pleased to have company. Then Blake and Jay pick up a spectacled caiman and a baby American alligator, neither of whom is pleased at all.

Next they move on to the Florida Iguana & Tortoise Breeders to meet Sam, who owns the place. This is where the big ones live. The first group they meet are Aldabra giant tortoises, and the size of them is hard to take in.

Then comes the one everyone remembers. He's a Galapagos tortoise, 104 years old, and he takes bananas and watermelon from Jay's hand. He's easy with Jay from the start, and he asks for more bananas. Jay and Sam stand beside him talking about how big these animals get, which is easier to believe with one at your feet.

A middle-aged male interacts with a giant tortoise, holding lettuce for feeding. The scene is set outdoors within an animal enclosure on a clear day. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Jay Brewer feeds his way through a whole ranch of animals, then meets the one who outranks them all.

The moment viewers go back for is the high five. The tortoise gives Jay what looks very much like a high five, then gets right back to the lettuce, as if that was the deal. At 104 he is older than nearly anyone who will ever stand in front of him, and he moves like he knows there is no rush.

Two more stops finish the day. There is an Amazon basin tortoise, a natural beauty, and then Humphrey the iguana, who takes a bite out of Jay's banana. Humphrey is quick about it. He hasn't had a hundred years to learn to take his time.