This animal can live up to 11,000 years
We often forget it, but sponges are animals. And most of them can live for thousands of years. Here, a specimen of the species Monorhaphis chuni .
We live on average 71 years, a drop in the ocean if we compare this figure to the lifespan of certain animals.
“Which animal ranks first in terms of longevity? asked Mohamed Larbi Bahou.
Humans today live relatively long lives: the average global life expectancy for someone born in 2015 is 71.4 years .
That's not too bad compared to some adult female mayflies that live less than five minutes , just long enough to reproduce and lay their eggs. A real speed dating.
We did some research and found out which animals can live long enough to be considered seniors.
“THE OLD CLAMS AND THE SEA”
The oceans are home to more than one species as old as Methuselah. Take sponges, for example.
“We often forget that sponges are animals,” and some of them are very long-lived animals, says Marah J. Hardt , author of Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection With Sex-Changing, over email. Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep .
While estimates of sponge longevity vary, they are often around thousands of years. According to a study published in the journal Aging Research Reviews , a deep-dwelling sponge of the species Monorhaphis chuni lived to be 11,000 years old.
Ming, an American clam, died at the age of 507 at the hands of researchers trying to extract the bivalve from Icelandic waters. The seashell usually has a lifespan of around 225 years.
According to the book titled Sexuality in Fishes, some deep-sea fish like the orange roughy live to be 175 years old.
When it comes to mammals, bowhead whales seem to hold the crown for the most candles on their cake, with over 200 candles. According to Don Moore , director of the Oregon Zoo located in Portland, this is quite logical since the marine mammal thrives in cold waters.
According to him, a cold environment induces a low body temperature which, in turn, leads to a slow metabolism and, therefore, to less damaged tissues.
Incidentally, according to the United States Agency for Oceanic and Atmospheric Observation , the bowhead whale also has the largest mouth of any animal.
LONG-LIFE TERRIANS
Currently, the world's oldest known land animal is Jonathan, a 183-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise who lives on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion on the island of St. West Africa.
Source : websites