The longest-living animal on Earth could be 11,000 years old

An over 100-year-old female Greenland shark found stranded on a beach in Cornwall (England) last year died in her teens. This is because the species can live up to 500 years, being considered the longest living vertebrate animal on Earth.

While this is indeed an admirable lifespan, it falls far short of the longevity of the world’s longest-living animal, being able to reach 11,000 years!

Mammals with the longest known gestation, the they are also the longest-lived beings of this subclass of vertebrates. While the exact lifespan is unknown, harpoon barbs found on some individuals suggest that this animal lives comfortably for over a century and can live up to .

Typical of the Pacific Ocean (from California to Japan), where it feeds on small animals such as shrimp and smaller fish, the can grow up to 97 cm long and live almost .

Found in rivers and streams in Europe and North America, river mussels are slow-metabolizing animals that filter food particles from the water to feed. Second World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the oldest already known had .

A study published in the journal The science of nature in 2017 found that the laminated escarpiaa deep-sea species in the Gulf of Mexico, typically living up to 200 years, with some specimens surviving more than . According to research, these they have a low mortality rate because they suffer few natural threats and lack of predators.

they are molluscs that inhabit the North Atlantic Ocean. A specimen of the species found in 2006 off the coast of Iceland had according to the National Museum of Wales in the UK.

Inhabitants of the depths of the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic, the they feed on other animals, including fish and marine mammals such as seals. These predators can reach 7.3 m in length and live up to .

Despite looking like rocks and colorful underwater plants, corals are actually composed of invertebrate exoskeletons called polyps, which multiply creating a genetically identical copy that is added to the set.

All coral species can live for more than 100 years, but (Leiopathes sp.) are among those that go furthest – specimens have been identified off Hawaii.

Like corals, sponges are also formed by colonies of animals and can live for thousands of years, with particular attention to the so-called. A study published in the journal chemical geology in 2012 reported a specimen of Monorhaphis chuni with estimated .

No, you read not wrong: some animals are considered immortal, such as the Turritopsis dohrnii, For example. This tiny sea creature can turn back its biological clock, creating a mass of newborn cells (even if it has already reproduced sexually). Returning to her juvenile state, she can also reproduce asexually, by cloning polyps from herself, which gives her two ways to propagate her genetic material.

Another case of immortality occurs with the . These animals, which live in temperate and tropical regions, have an unlimited capacity for self-regeneration of their stem cells.

_{With information on the website the life of the animal.}

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Source: Olhar Digital