Harriet, the world's oldest tortoise, dies aged 176

A 176-year-old giant tortoise believed to have been studied by famed English naturalist Charles Darwin, has died in Australia after a short illness.

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The extremely elderly tortoise, Harriet, was hatched on the Galapagos Islands in 1830 but lived out her final years at Australia Zoo in southeast Queensland where she was the star attraction.

Senior veterinarian John Hangar said the 150-kilogram (330-pound) reptile died on Thursday night after a short illness.

"She had been sick yesterday with, in effect, heart failure," Hangar told ABC radio.

"She had a fairly acute heart attack and thankfully passed away quietly overnight."

Hangar said Harriet, who had made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest living animal, had been credited with helping Darwin pioneer his theory of evolution.

Sumatran Tigers Born at National Zoo

This photo provided by the National Zoo shows the newest litter of Sumatran tigers at the zoo in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2006, The cubs were born on May 24, and received their first health exam Thursday. The two-week-old cubs, one male and two females, had their eyes, ears and throats checked, and were weighed. National Zoo veterinarians say the cubs are all healthy and that the male is the biggest, weighing 6.8 pounds; the two females weigh 5.8 and 4.8 pounds. (AP Photo/Jessie Cohen, National Zoo)

Baby Zebra First Born For Zoo

Merey, a one-week-old zebra foal, stands next to her mother Kivi in Almaty Zoo June 15, 2006. Merey, translated from Kazakh as 'Long wished for,' is the first zebra born in Almaty's zoo in 69 years. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (KAZAKHSTAN)

Bat Eared Foxes Emerge from Den

A litter of four young bat-eared foxes emerge from their birthing den at the San Diego Zoos Wild Animal Park Thursday, June 15, 2006, in San Diego. This unique species of African fox is rarely seen in zoos and this is the first litter ever born at the Park. Bat-eared foxes are native to the African savannas. This family pack can be seen in the Wild Animal Parks Heart of Africa exhibit where they share a habitat with warthogs. (AP Photo/ Zoological Society of San Diego, Ken Bohn)

Polar Bear Conservation in Talks

In this photo provided by Mary Sage, shows a polar bear watching a whaling crew off shore near Barrow, Alaska, Monday, May 22, 2006. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials in Alaska are sifting through more than 140,000 submitted comments as they consider additional protections for polar bears. A petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in Joshua Tree, Calif., in February 2005, claims polar bears are threatened because of drastic declines in polar ice because of global warming. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Mary Sage, Joseph Napaaqtuq Sage)

Floods Bring Manatee to Door

A manatee, lower right, comes up to get a look at J.J. Cournoyer, as it feeds on the front lawn of a flooded apartment complex Tuesday afternoon on Kings Bay in Crystal River, Fla. The effects of Tropical Storm Alberto flooded low lying areas of Citrus County. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Okapi Rediscovered in DR Congo

After nearly 50 years, the okapi - the closest known relative to the giraffe - has been rediscovered in Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), World Wildlife Fund announced today. This is the first sign of okapi presence in Virunga National Park since August 1959 according to official records. The discovery happened during a recent survey led by WWF and its Congolese governmental partner ICCN (the Congo Institute for Nature Conservation). (More)