Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
Human life expectancy, in general, is increasing, but we are not approaching the years that some animals can live. Yes, there are animals that live more than 100 years, even many more. Surely, turtles come to mind, as there was a well-known one that was called "lonely George" and currently, the turtle "Jonathan" still lives and is older than the previous one. Longevity records are not easy to measure, but science has already shown that there are several species that can leave us speechless, especially in the oceans. Therefore, in Green Ecologist we explain which animals live the longest and various curiosities about them. Be amazed!
The immortal jellyfish
As we will see below, most animal species that are astonishingly long-lived live in water, especially in the oceans. Thus, we find in the seas the animal that lives the longest, because we can even consider it immortal, it is the jellyfish turritopsis nutricula Y Turritopsis dohrnii which, in fact, are known by the common name of immortal jellyfish.
It is a hydromedusa, since it does not reach even 5 mm in diameter, which inhabits all oceans, although it is considered that its origin is in the Caribbean seas. At the moment, it is considered the only animal that can rejuvenateWell, you can go back to your younger self whenever you need to.
Sea sponges live thousands of years
After having met an animal that can be considered immortal, it may surprise us little more, but how about living a few 11,000 years? This is the time that, for the moment, we know that the sea sponges. That's right, another marine animal that has a really long life, because let's not forget that sea sponges are animals, even if they look like some kind of aquatic plant.
It has been found that, generally, marine sponges live thousands of years, although it can be a very variable number, and that one of the species was found Monorhaphis chuni that came to live 11,000 years.
Ocean clams
There are species of clams that are gigantic and are capable of living for hundreds of years. The giant ocean clams, like the one in the photo, they can be incredibly large, even larger than the image, and can have different shapes, colors and textures, since all kinds of organisms adhere to them in symbiosis.
The best example to understand how long giant ocean clams can live is the famous Ming, a giant clam that scientific researchers found and began to study, discovering that he lived 507 yearsThe cause of its death being the moment when they tried to remove it from the ocean to study it.
This age is extraordinary even for this species, since the average life expectancy of giant clams is approximately 225 years.
Koi carp
This time we talk about a freshwater animal: Koi carp. They are the most popular fish in Asian cultures, such as China and Japan. Koi are fresh and cold water fish that adapt very well to various types of conditions, they are very hardy and can grow quite large.
These fish can live for many years, but the Koi carp that lived the longest reached 226 years and died in 1997.
Greenland shark, over 400 years old
The greenland boreal whale (Balaena mysticetus) had the record for the longest living marine vertebrate, as they can live 200 years or more. However, a few years ago, scientists discovered that there is another vertebrate animal in this area of the planet that surpasses it. Its about greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), from which it has been discovered that it can live 400 years.
Image: elnuevodiario.com.ni
Turtles that live 100 years or more
Leaving the water behind, on land we find at giant tortoises which are other animals that can become very old. These animals that can weigh up to 250 kg and on average live between 100 and 130 years.
There are several species of giant tortoises, such as those of the Seychelles and those of the Galapagos. Among the giant tortoises of the Seychelles we find "the lonely George" who died in 2012 with an age that exceeded a century of life and the still alive "Jonathan". Jonathan the turtle is the oldest today, as she is still alive at the age of 182 years and lives in the governor's mansion on the island of Santa Elena.
There was also a giant tortoise in India, called Adwaita, which was estimated to have lived 250 years and died in 2006 in the Seychelles, but its longevity is not scientifically proven.
The tuátaras
To finish with the list of which animals live the longest, we comment that the tuátaras or sphenodonts they are a species considered a living fossil. Although it is related to iguanas, it is actually quite distantly related. It is about reptiles that coexisted with dinosaurs and they continue to inhabit the planet, specifically we can find them in New Zealand.
Today, the oldest tuátara has 117 years and it is that the life expectancy of these reptiles is of something more than a century.
What animal lives the least?
To finish, we comment on a fact that is just as curious as the previous ones. If we were wondering which animals live the longest, surely, at some point, we have also wondered which animals live a short time. The answer is that the ephemeral, insects related to dragonflies and damselflies, are the animals that live lessIn fact, its name gives us a very clear idea. The truth is that until they complete their larval phase they can live for years, but once they become adults, that is, when they begin to relate more with the environment and with each other, they really live little.
Specifically, these insects, also called ephemeroptera or bludgeon, do not usually live not 24 hours. In addition, there is a species, the American Dolania, of which females live less than five minutes.
If you want to read more articles similar to Which animals live the longest, we recommend that you enter our category of Animal Curiosities.
