Human beings have always dreamed of immortality or, in fact, of extending life expectancy to the maximum possible, so scientists seek to understand more precisely the mechanisms of aging , studying the human body with unprecedented precision. They are also trying to figure out why some animals live so long, trying to unravel its mysteries, and hope they can use this knowledge to extend human lifespan, which is already quite satisfying. Let’s find out now which are the oldest animals in the world.
How long do the oldest animals in the world live?
Some of the animals closest to our lives, and we are not referring to pets , usually have an average life that does not exceed 10-12 years but there are animals in the world that not only exceed that average but also multiply it even by tens. These are below the oldest animals and the number of years they live.
La Medusa (Turritopsis nutricula)
The jellyfish of the Turritopsis nutricula species is the longevity champion animal. In fact it is known as “the immortal jellyfish” because it not only renews its cells, as all jellyfish do, but it can return to a state prior to sexual maturity, thus operating a rejuvenating mechanism being able to reverse the life cycle. This mechanism is activated in life conditions considered unfavorable such as stress or lack of food. Despite this, this animal can still die from diseases or from the attacks of its predators.
The sponge (Anoxycalyx joubini)
The sponge, which is not actually an animal but a colony of cells living together, could live for more than 10,000 years . Each individual only lives 10 years at most, but the colony renews itself, some cells are born and others die.
Almeja de Iceland (Arctica islandica)
The shelf life of the Icelandic clam is much more modest. Researchers have studied specimens of this species of bivalve mollusks collected from the Icelandic coast and have estimated their age at 500 years . However, this half a millennium may not be the maximum age that the animal could reach since the specimen that was taken precisely to study its longevity died due to the analyzes that the researchers made.
Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus)
The Greenland shark is one of the largest carnivorous sharks on the planet. It lives between 200 and 400 meters deep so it is difficult to observe. The evaluation of its age is based on a study that has shown that this shark grows 0.5 to 1 cm per year. Its age can be deduced by extrapolating its length. Therefore, this animal can reach 200 years, and perhaps even 500 years. The Greenland shark is probably the longest living vertebrate animal.
Greenland whale (Balaena mysticetus)
The Greenland whale can live up to 200 years. An interesting animal for being the mammal with the longest longevity, the researchers wondered about the paradox it represents: having a thousand times more cells than humans, it should suffer more from cancer and therefore have a limited life span. However, in their genome they have identified mechanisms to put certain genes on hold, limit cell aging or even repair DNA that could serve as the basis for the development of new therapeutic models in humans.
