8 Animals That Have Very Long Lifespan

Some tortoises were around during the years when Darwin wrote his book on evolution. There are whales that are still swimming with 200 year old spears embedded into their skin. We can even find sponges that have been filter-feeding since the glory days of Rome. We humans are not the only ones who can live for more than a hundred years. Some animals can even live twice as long as we can.

Below are a few species that have very long lifespans. You can even consider some of them immortal.

Geoducks

These huge saltwater clams are commonly found in the Puget Sound, an estuary in the northwestern coast of North America. Geoducks are known to live for a little over 160 years. They’re known for their long “necks”, also called siphons, which usually grows to more than a meter long.

Tuatara

These animals have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. Although there are no individuals that walked the earth with them, Tuataras are said to live between 100 to 200 years. They’re among the longest lived vertebrates on the planet.

Lamellibrachia Tube Worms

Lamellibrachia Tube Worms are colorful, sea creatures that live near hydrocarbon vents deep in the ocean floor. These creatures are known to live up to 170 year, but a lot of researchers say that they can live to more than 250 years.

Red Sea Urchins

Native only to the Pacific Ocean, specifically along North America’s West Coast. They love in rocky, shallow waters and spend most of their time crawling around the sea floor. Some specimen has been living for more than 200 years, so be careful if you ever find one.

Bowhead Whales

Also known as arctic whales, they are known to be the longest living mammals on the planet. Some living bowhead whales were found with ivory spear tips still stuck in their flesh from attempts by whale hunters 200 years ago. A recorded specimen is known to have been around for 211 years.

Koi

These beautiful fishes are known to be ornamental, domesticated specie of carp. They’re commonly seen in decorative ponds and rock pool. Amazingly, these fishes are known to live for more than 200 years. The oldest koi that was recorded was Hanako, which lived for 226 years.

Tortoises

People often mistake tortoises for turtles. The main difference between them is that turtles live in water while tortoises live on land. The oldest recorded living specimen was a Galápagos tortoise names Harriet, who lived to a very ripe age of 175 years. She was the last living representative of Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Ocean quahog

This is a clam specie that you can commonly find in seafood markets. Researchers say that the dark bands or rings on their shell represent a year of their life. Some specimen was found to have more than 400 bands around their shells.