There are a wide variety of animals in the animal kingdom. These animals are distinct from one another in various ways. Some are bigger or smaller than others. We also have those that are deadlier than most.
A certain category of animals also exist, and they do not exactly belong to a particular kingdom or phylum. These animals defy age and outlive most other animals by a wide gap. Below are some of the animals that live the longest.
Greenland Shark
The major reason the Greenland shark lives this long is that its lifespan itself is a very long one. For most animals, childhood is a very short stage, and it requires a fast transition to adulthood. This lifespan helps ensure the survival of many species.
The green land shark defies the logic of growing quickly to ensure its chances of survival. It is in no hurry to grow as it spends 100 years of its life at the childhood stage. The minimum age of the green land shark is 272 years, while the maximum age is 392 years.
Bowhead Whale
When it comes to long life and mammals, the bowhead whale is definitely in the picture. Also known as the Arctic whale, this mammoth creature defies the age limit of most mammals.
Although it was said to have a lifespan of 60 to 70 years, recent findings showed ancient spears of over 100 years ago stuck to their flesh.
African Elephant
It is said that the elephant is the land cousin of whales and dolphins. Seems the saying may be truer than we know. Besides their level of intelligence and memory capacity, elephants have an average lifespan of 70 years. There are also reports of elephants living up to 80 years.
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
“Slow and steady wins the race,” so goes the saying. The Galapagos giant tortoise will win the race, if it is for who will spend the longest time living without getting to die. This feat is not limited to the Galapagos giant tortoise alone.
Most tortoises are as slow to meeting their deaths as they are slow to moving about. The Galapagos giant tortoise has an average life span of 177 years. The oldest living Galapagos tortoise set a new Guinness world record at 187 years.
Ocean Quahog
It also seems as though animals that move slowly also move slowly towards the end of their life. The Ocean Quahog is a mollusk that stick to the ocean floor and feed on algae. Studies of the marks on quahogs show that a quahog has the average lifespan of 100 years.
Antarctic Sponge
The Antarctic sponge may as well be immortal. It is often found in cold waters of more than 6000 feet below the water surface. These levels of ocean water is so cold that it slows down the growth of the Antarctic sponge.
Regular sponges that do not live in cold water regions have a lifespan of 1500 years. Some Antarctic sponge like the Anoxycalyx joubini, on the other hand, has a lifespan of 15,000 years.
Koi Fish
The Koi fish was thought to have a lifespan of 20–30 years. However, reports now have it that there are koi fishes that have lived for more than 200 years. The growth rings of a koi fish that died in 1977 showed that she was 226 years old.