Gus the tortoise observes his 100th birthday in characteristic strong, silent style

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.

WATCH | Gus's 58th birthday party and tales of a mysterious disappearance:

Today, children still delight in joining him on his daily walks, but touching is not allowed.

This year, Gus's party will last an entire weekend, with twice-daily rounds of singing Happy Hatch-Day To You, and carefully arranged plates of Gus's favourites: blueberries, bananas and romaine lettuce. 

At the 11 a.m. AT birthday chorus on Friday, dozens of children sang at the top of their lungs while Gus sat motionless on a square of beige carpet, blinking occasionally, and ignoring the food. 

Spence says he usually perks up in the afternoon. \

"He's never slowed down in his speed. He's always been consistent with his diet," she said. "And just a great personality, a great frame of mind. He always wants to go for his walks." 

It's an impressive display of consistency from the oldest tortoise of his kind on record. Gopher tortoises live from 40 to 80 years in the wild.