Few people reach the age of over 100, but in the animal kingdom, there are species that live for hundreds, even thousands of years, such as tortoises, red sea urchins, and sponges…
The List of the Longest-Living Animals on the Planet
As the highest form of evolutionary development, humans are continually increasing their lifespan. However, in the natural world, there are many champions of longevity whose records humans may never surpass.
10. Pacific Geoduck Clam
These clams can live for at least 160 years. They are characterized by their long “necks” or siphons, which can be over a meter long. In some regions, they are also known as elephant trunk clams.
9. Tuatara
The Tuatara is a living representative of a species that thrived 200 million years ago on Earth. They are vertebrates that can live up to 200 years.
8. Vestimentiferan Worm
This mollusk lives inside a protective shell and remains fixed for its entire life. Vestimentiferan worms can grow up to 3 meters long and often live in very large groups, sometimes numbering in the thousands. They are found concentrated in the northern Gulf of Mexico at depths greater than 750 meters below sea level. Vestimentiferan worms grow very slowly and can live over 250 years.
7. Red Sea Urchin
The red sea urchin is only found in the Pacific, along the West Coast of North America. This species lives in shallow waters, at depths of around 90 meters. They move using their spines like stilts. Their lifespan can exceed 200 years.
6. Bowhead Whale
As the longest-living mammal in the world, bowhead whales can live up to 211 years. Scientists have found harpoons made from whale bone still lodged in their flesh from hunts that took place 200 years ago.
5. Koi Fish
Although they are simply ornamental fish kept in artificial ponds, Koi fish can live for over 200 years. The oldest known Koi, named Hanako, died on July 7, 1977, at the age of 226.
4. Tortoise
Tortoises are the longest-living vertebrates in the world. One tortoise named Harriet, who lived on the Galápagos Islands, died in 2006 at the age of 175, having been born before Darwin set foot there. The record for tortoises is held by Adwaita, a giant tortoise from the Galápagos, who lived to be 250 years old.
3. Ocean Quahog
The ocean quahog is often harvested for commercial purposes. Researchers explain the concentric circles or markings on the shell as growth rings similar to those in trees. Through various samples, the lifespan of ocean quahogs can reach up to 400 years.
2. Antarctic Sponge
Due to the extremely low temperatures in Antarctica, Antarctic sponges, which are sedentary organisms, grow at an incredibly slow rate. Some estimates suggest that they can live up to 1,550 years.
1. Immortal Jellyfish
The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish can live indefinitely by reverting its life cycle from the adult stage back to its single-celled stage and then continuing to develop again. With this ability, they are considered the immortal creatures of the world.
