Natures’ Peak Performances - Incredible Longevity

Amazing Creatures

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With this post I introduce you to some of the most exquisite creatures of our wonderful planet. Maybe you have heard about some of them, but probably not of all.

This is a non-comprehensive selection of some of the most long-living animals in the world. It is not meant to be some kind of ranking, just a random pool of examples, ready to amaze:

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First example: Arctica islandica

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^{Source: S. Rae}

This shell is also called Ocean Quahog and is native to the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The oldest known representative of this species was 507 years old and was called 'Ming the shell'. It was named after the Ming Dynasty during which it became into being.

They are the most durable animals that do not live in a colony. Typically they have a very monotonous life, which is indeed not detrimental to their longevity. Usually they are burried in sediments and only come up every few days to absorb oxygen, after what they dig themself back in the ground.

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Second example: The Greenland Shark

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^{Source: dinoanimals.com}

The Greenland Shark, or Somniosus microcephalus by its scientific name, continues to grow its whole life! This is a characteristic which they share with another well-known sea creature, the lobster.

Those sharks may grow up to a lenght of 8 meters in total. Surprisingly, a 5-meter-long specimen was already dated to an age of almost 400 years. They first reach sexual maturity with an age of 140-150 years and are the most long-living vertebrates in the world.

To analyse the age of a number of trapped specimens the technique of radiocarbon analysis was used. This method basically works only with biological matter, which is no longer in dynamic equilibrium with the environment, otherwise the biological radiocarbon content continuously adapts to the constant value of the environment.

In order to be able to apply this analysis for a living organism, only the eyes of the whales were investigated. This part of the body is formed only once and then they are strictly cut off from the rest of the sharks metabolism.

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Third example: The Bowhead Whale

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^{Source: Science News for Students}

The Bowhead Whale may also be called Greenland Whale, or Balaena mysticetus can grow up to a length of 18 meters and their tongue alone weighs up to 900 kilograms. A typical feature is that they have no dorsal fin.

Besides, they have the biggest mouth among all animals!
Although the average life expectancy in the wild is only about 50 years, some specimen were spotted with ages up to about 211 years.

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Fourth example: Anoxycalyx joubini

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Since sponges are part of the animal kingdom, the antarctic giant sponge named Anoxycalyx joubini, should by no means be missing in this list.

With an estimated life span of over 10,000 years, it reaches the highest age of all known animal organisms.
Do you think that this lifespan is enough? At least I would think so.

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Nonetheless, there is an organism that does not want to rely on a long life span only, and therefore goes for a kind of "eternal life":

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Fifth example: Turritopsis dohrnii

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^{Source: American Museum of Natural History}

Turritopsis dohrnii is a jellyfish that grows just half a centimeter in size. It uses a trick that makes it virtually immortal. Most jellyfish die after reproduction, but not them! They create new polyps from some of the cells of their bell, which then grow into a jellyfish again.

The highlight of the whole process is that the new jellyfish is genetically identical to the old one, and since these simple creatures do not have or develop consciousness, it's fair to talk about one and the same individual.

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Following animals also reach a considerable lifespan:

• Parrots (max. 80 years)
  Parrots probably owe their records in longevity to the care of their owners. In nature they typically become only 20-30 years in age.

• Alligators (max. 100 years)
  Compared to their close relatives the crocodiles, alligators have a much slower metabolism, which gives them an almost twice as long lifespan.

• Lobsters (max. 100 years)
  Unlike most other organisms, the lobster produces an enzyme called telomerase throughout all its life. This enzyme is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the body's DNA. According to current knowledge, the longevity of lobsters is attributed to this characteristic.

• Humans (max. 120 years)
  The fact that we are now at the top of the food chain and that we have applied advanced health care knowledge, allows us to appear in this list.

• Aldabra giant tortoise (max. 250 years)
  Moderate climate and few predators in their natural habitat allow a relaxed long life. Thus, these tortoises are the longest living reptiles.

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^{Source: pixabay}

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I hope you enjoyed todays sharing about some wonders of mother nature!

Best,
mountain.phil28

References:

1. A TOPMANIA Article on durable Animals, TOPPI, 2017
2. M. Gräub, Älter als die Natur erlaubt, Tierwelt, 2013
3. P. R. Ehrlich, D. S. Dobkin, D. Wheye: How Long Can Birds Live?, A Stanford University Article 1988
4. C. R. Whitney, Jeanne Calment, World's Elder, Dies at 122. The New York Times, 1997
5. W. Klapper, K. Kühne, et al. Longevity of lobsters is linked to ubiquitous telomerase expression. FEBS Letters 1998, 439, pp. 143–146.
6. P. Butler, Clam shells, climate change and ageing, Catalyst Secondary School Review. , 2012