By Staff Reporter
Tortoises are among the slowest animals on earth but they have their world's king of high speed.
Bertie, from the leopard tortoise specie remains the undefeated fastest tortoise on the planet, nine years after it was crowned by the Guinness World Records (GWR).
The Guinness World Records called the reptile a ‘’speed demon.’’ This week the GWR paid tribute to 16-year-old Bertie stressing that he has yet to be beaten by any tortoise.
GWR had confirmed that Bertie reached a speed of 0.28 metres per second (0.92 ft/sec) in 2014, completely smashing the record of Charlie, a tortoise who held the record at 0.125 m/s, which had been unchallenged since 1977.
Bertie’s proud owners, Marco Calzini and his wife Janine, said his amazing speed was fueled by strawberries placed tantalisingly at the end of the race track, which spurred him to across the finish line.
Popular reptile
‘’We’ve had Bertie now for four years after his previous owner emigrated to another country,’’ Bertie’s proud owners, Marco Calzini and his wife Janine, told GWR at the time.
The record-breaking action was organised at his home in Adventure Valley, a family adventure and nature park in Brasside, Durham, in northeast England.
Since setting a new Guinness World Records title, Bertie has become quite a celebrity and very popular with visitors, and his Guinness World Records certificate is proudly displayed on the wall.
Bertie remains the current holder of the title and lives in a luxury enclosure with his girlfriend Shelly, according to the animal shelter.
Leopard tortoises are native to the dry savannahs of central and southern Africa. As Bertie's reign continues it is unclear when or who will break his record.
