5 of the Oldest Species Still to Exist

The earth has millions of types of animals living on it, but we actually only still know a small amount of them. a number of those are extinct species, which a few have died out over the past few centuries or had died out long before man existed. But a few of those animals still do exist today. Below are a few of the oldest animal species that still exists today, and most of them are found in the depths of the ocean.

Goblin Sharks

These sharks spend most of their time in the bottom of very deep waters, so we usually don’t see them. Not a lot is known about these sharks, but it’s estimated that they’ve been around for 118 million years. The base of their teeth protrudes out of their mouth, making them very visible. A live specimen was caught in the waters near Japan back in 2007, however it didn’t survive.

Martialis Heureka Ant

This is the only land animal on the list. Although they’re old, humans had just recently discovered them in the early 20’s. They’re now represented as a new ant species and they even have their own genus and subfamily. This primitive and prehistoric line existed right at the start of the evolution of ant, dating back 120 million years ago.

Frilled Shark

Older than the goblin shark, frilled sharks are known to be the oldest shark species that are still around. Their physical features are unlike the more evolved and “modern” sharks, which is why they have a more eel-like shape to their body. Scientist estimate that these sharks have been around for over 150 million years. They also live at the ocean’s sea bed, which is why we rarely ever see them. However, a specimen occasionally does get caught in fishing nets every now and then.

Tadpole Shrimp

Although they’ve been around for an estimated 220 million years, these animals are now tagged as endangered. They’ve been having problems repopulating and scientist are finding ways to help them survive. In 2010, they discovered that tadpole shrimp eggs are able to lie dormant for a long time when they’re dried. Hopefully, this can help the species live longer.

Sturgeon

There is actually a wide umbrella that covers a number of species listed as sturgeons. They’ve survived for about 200 million years, however, they face a huge population problem because of human intervention. Sturgeons are harvested for their eggs or caviar, which we in turn make into luxury food items. They also face problems with the destruction of their natural habitat and pollution.

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Rare Goblin Shark Caught in Gulf of Mexico

Commercial fisher Carl Moore wasn’t sure what he had netted last week just south of Key West, Florida (map), when he saw the fish’s flat, blade-like snout. Only after the Georgia angler photographed and released his catch was its identity confirmed: It was a goblin shark, a rare deep-sea shark, and it’s believed to be only the second such specimen ever caught in the Gulf of Mexico.

These sharks are so rarely encountered that any information about them is eagerly devoured by researchers, says John Carlson, a research biologist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service. After Moore examined his curious catch and took a series of photos of it, he released it back into the ocean and contacted NOAA. Moore’s photos were referred to Carlson, who specializes in sharks and was excited to get more data on this rare one.

“We don’t know how long they live; we don’t know how often they reproduce, or even how big they are when they reproduce,” Carlson says. “They’re a mystery.”

Moore had told NOAA he thought the shark he released was about 18 feet (5.4 meters) long. When Carlson and colleagues analyzed Moore’s photographs, they gauged the length to be more like 15 feet (4.5 meters) long. And they made an educated guess about the shark’s sex.

Carlson says male sharks have external sexual characteristics called claspers, two fin-like appendages near the tail that males use to hold on to females while mating. “From the photographs, we don’t see those, so we’re suspecting it’s a female,” he says.

Source: Here

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