10 Animals With Longer Lifespans Than Humans
Thanks to modern medicine and rapid advancement of new technology, the average lifespan for the human species has increased dramatically. The average life expectancy in ancient Greece and Rome was 28 years old. Fast forward to industrialized regions in the early 21st century, life expectancy has increased to 78 years old.
Photo Credit | Deposit Photo | @Vlad61
It’s proven that the average human lifespan is rising. However, humans are not alone in their ability to live long, healthy lives. Actually, there are organisms that have been outliving humans since – well, since the dawn of man. Here’s a list of the world’s animals with the most extensive lifespans.
1. Ocean Quahog (507 years): Next time you order a round of quahog clams on your beach vacation, you might be eating a clam that was born before Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the globe in 1519.
2. Koi Fish (225 years): You might know Koi fish as those peaceful red-and-white garden pond fish. What you might not know is that they have the ability to live well over 100 years old. The oldest of the Koi, named Hanako, lived to be 225.
3. Bowhead Whales (200+ years): Bowhead whales are the longest-living mammals on Earth. When a Bowhead washed ashore off the coast of Alaska eight years ago, it had remnants of a 19th century harpoon in its neck.
4. Red Sea Urchin (200 years): These bright and spiky underwater creatures have nothing short of an inconsistent lifespan. While the average red sea urchin is expected to live past 30, they have been recorded as living past 200 years.
5. Radiated Tortoise (180 years): This ancient tortoise, ironically on the critically endangered list, is native to Madagascar. The oldest known radiated tortoise lived to be 188 years old.
Photo Credit | Deposit Photos | @Dianepix
6. Geoducks (168 years): These strange little crustaceans are actually a type of clam. What differentiates geoducks from your every day littleneck clam? For starters, geoducks can grow up to 6.5 feet in length. Not only are clams outliving humans, but they can grow taller than us, too.
7. Orange Roughy Fish (150 years) This deep sea dweller occupies the Pacific Ocean. It takes about 20 to 40 years for an orange roughy to grow up – quite literally. Orange roughies aren’t able to reproduce until they reaches full maturity.
8. Tuatara (100+ years): This reptile is a survivor – no, really. When rats invaded its New Zealand habitat along with European settlers, the Tuatara almost went extinct. Why? Like the orange roughy, it can take decades for the Tuatara to reproduce.
9. Macaw Parrot (100 years): The oldest macaw on record, a yellow macaw named Charlie, lived to be 111 years old. They’re native to Central America, Mexico, South American and the Caribbean.
10. Turritopsis Nutricula Jellyfish (Immortal): Thanks to the ability to regenerate even the most vital body parts, this jellyfish can technically live forever. Well, as long as it isn’t made prey by a carnivorous predator.