Written by Bridget O’Brien
How old is the oldest person you know?
Compared to other mammals, humans live quite long. Your pawfect pets may live 10-15 years, a horse around 25-30 years, an African Elephant around 60-70 years, and a little longer for humans (it’s very rare someone lives to 100). But what if I told you that there were some creatures who live hundreds, even thousands of years longer than us?
Buckle up! Because we are about to discover some very, very, very old creatures. Can you guess what they might be? (Hint: most can be found in the ocean).
Greenland Sharks
Greenland Sharks are found in the Arctic Ocean in really cold temperatures (-2 to -7 degrees Celsius) and tend to not travel to the surface often. Recent research has suggested that they can live for 250-500 years!
Deep Sea Sponges
Believe it or not, sponges are actually animals!
It is hard for researchers to know exactly how old sponges are, but estimates about a deep-sea sponge lived to be roughly 11,000 years old!
The Immortal Jellyfish
The immortal jellyfish is a small jellyfish (less than half a centimetre in size) that lives in seas all over the world. It has 2 forms (medusa and polyp), and when it reaches full growth, it reverts back to a juvenile state to start it’s life cycle all over again. Hence the term immortal – it never dies!
What about Australian animals?
Here’s a snapshot at the average lifespan of some Australian animals:
Emus: 5-10 years
Dingoes: 7-10 years
Possums: 10-12 years
Koalas: 13-18 years
Platypus: 17 years
Wombats: 26 years
Echidnas: 45-50 years
Temperature and lifespan
Some scientists believe that in the icy temperatures of the arctic and the bottom of the ocean, animals slow down, and so do their metabolisms. Everything happens slower in the cold, and therefore there is less damage done to their tissues so they can live longer! In Australia, conditions can be quite harsh with regular bushfires and heat waves.
Could this be why our native animals don’t live as long? You be the judge!
