FOG BLOG FEEL GOOD LOG: 'GUS' THE TORTOISE JOINS OTHER CENTENARIANS IN NOVA SCOTIA AND TURNS 100!

Gus the tortoise observes his 100th birthday in characteristic strong, silent style The Halifax-based gopher tortoise is the oldest of his kind on record Nova Scotia's most beloved reptile is now 100 — or close enough for a party.

Gus the gopher tortoise has been in residence at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax since 1942. While his actual hatching day is lost to history, August seems like the right time to celebrate.

"So it's an average time, mid-August, for when tortoises start to hatch from their eggs," said Liz Spence, one of the museum's curatorial staff who takes care of Gus. "But also a good time for visitors to come. So we could accommodate a lot of people for a gathering like this."

In 1942, the director of the province's provincial museum bought Gus from a pet store in Florida for a modest $5. Because the burrowing tortoises are threatened in Florida, he wouldn't be allowed to emigrate today. Gus's birthdays have been a museum event since the early 1980s.

In the early days, Gus had free range of the museum's galleries. Old photographs show his shell polished from the hands of curious visitors. "I'm hopeful for many, many more years from Gus," Spence said.

After the birthday chorus, Gus's guests asked Spence many questions, such as when he falls asleep (8 p.m.), how he bathes (in a few centimetres of water) and how well he digs (quite well; he's working on a burrow on the museum lawn).

Spence showed off a display of vintage Gus memorabilia in the lobby, including a letter from a Galapagos tortoise in 1979, a pewter Christmas ornament, pins, magnets and a limited-release local root beer.

Booming business

Today the gift shop is doing brisk business in Gus's birthday merch — T-shirts and tote bags are nearly sold out. Pins and stickers are still available.

Spence makes sure Gus is compensated for the use of his image.

"He gets his payout in bananas and lettuce. That's how he like to take his cut," Spence said.

Anyone who wants to extend good wishes to Gus in person can stop by on Saturday and Sunday for his birthday appearances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

After that, Spence says you can catch Gus around 3 p.m. on his regular daily stroll.