Each animal species functions slightly differently, hence there are differences in life expectancy. Although man is not a record holder, compared to other living organisms, he can live to a very old age. However, there are methuselah animals that live much longer. And some actually … never die.
Mother nature has equipped some animals with mechanisms that allow them to survive for many years. Much also depends on environmental conditions, metabolism and, we can say, typical habits for a given species. First, we will look at the record holders in the natural world in terms of life expectancy (based on the AnAge database), and then various ways to increase animal longevity.
Scolymastra joubini sponge - 15,000 years
Outright shocking value in terms of life expectancy! We often forget that simple, non-tissue sponges are also animals. They live in colonies that collect up to tens of thousands of individuals. Scolymastra joubini sponges are estimated to be the most long-lived animals. They reach quite a high height for this group of organisms, even 2 meters. They live in the cold Antarctic waters and here also hides one of the secrets of their longevity. The metabolism works very slowly at low temperatures.
Cinachyra antarctica sponge - 1550 years
The second place on the podium is taken by sponges again - this time for the species Cinachyra antarctica. From the name, you can guess that it also lives in the cold Antarctic waters. This species was first described by H.J. Carter in 1872.
Icelandic Cyprina - 507 years
This is a species of deep sea clam. In 2006, an individual who lived 507 years was recovered off the coast of Iceland. Hence, such a value appears in this species ( although it can also be higher!). It is estimated that on average cyprinas live around 225 years. The captured representative was also named Ming - from the Chinese dynasty that ruled at the time he was born. Icelandic Cyprins are quite widespread in the waters of the North Atlantic. We will also meet them in the B altic Sea. These are non-colonial animals in which - interestingly - no aging has been found. This phenomenon is called negligible aging.
Polar (Greenland) shark - 392 years
It's finally time for the first onevertebrate in the list, which is the polar shark. In general, in this group of organisms, fish are the most long-lived - and that's because they have little environmental variability (life on land is more demanding if we take into account, for example, climate variability). The largest identified female polar sharks were 335 and 392 years old. The latter value is therefore the highest recorded for this species. Polar sharks live in the northern waters: the Atlantic, the Arctic Ocean, the White Sea and the North Sea. They do not reach sexual maturity until the age of 150, and they grow very slowly - they gain about 1 cm per year. Their functioning could be described as slow life, hence their longevity. They even move very slowly on the water, reaching speeds of about 1.2 km / h.
Greenland walnut - 211 years
This is the only mammal in the list that, like the animals mentioned above, lives in an aquatic environment - and again, in a cold one. As a result, his body temperature is low and his metabolism is slower. As a result, there is less damage to the tissues, which translates into metasalus years. It is worth mentioning that the Greenland walnut has … the largest mouth of all animals. Is a solid diet also the secret of his longevity?
Crimson Spicy - 205 years
Another representative of the water world on the list. This reddish fish is found in warm regions - namely the Pacific Ocean, mainly off the coast of Japan and California. Nevertheless, it prefers cool deep waters, which is also the secret of the redfish's longevity. This fish also has an interesting appearance. It is reddish with a dorsal fin resembling a mohawk - hence it probably appears in English under the name … rockfish.
Jeżowiec Strongylocentrotus franciscanus - 200 years old
A long-lived sea creature that managed to surprise scientists. Initially, they believed that he lived to be several years old. However, when 14C carbon dating was used, it turned out that sea urchins with no signs of aging live up to 200 years! We meet them on the rocky shores of the Pacific Ocean - in shallow waters from Alaska to California. Sea urchins have a round body completely covered with long (8 cm) spines. They are orange to burgundy in color. Small, tubular feet allow them to grasp the seabed.
Gopher Tortoise - 177 years old
It is associated with the Galapagos Islands because it is there in the natural environment. The largest known specimen was 1.87 m tall and weighed 400 kg. Sources say about a turtle that lived to 177 years. In turn, the Harriett turtle, who lived in Australia in 2006 and at the age of 176, according tosome researchers were transported from the Galapagos by Charles Darwin himself, the founder of the theory of evolution. Unfortunately, elephant turtles are threatened with extinction, although the national park established on the islands (1959) protects them better and better. However, they fall prey to poachers, rats, pigs and dogs eat eggs and young turtles, and goats, donkeys and horses eat turtles' food, often trampling their nests. So much remains to be done in terms of their protection.
Immortality in the animal world?
Is there immortality in nature? Actually, yes, although specifically understood. A good example is the inconspicuous stułbiopławy stułbiopławy. They can "reset", as it were, replacing old cells with completely new ones - and so on indefinitely. How does it exactly look like? They experience the phenomenon of transdifferentiation, i.e. a complete return from sexual maturity to immaturity. The life cycle consists of three stages: larval, polyp and jellyfish (hydromedosis). In the last stage, the hydroelectric moss has the ability to revert to the original one, replacing all the cells from the adults with the germ cells. This happens some 60 times in a few years! It should come as no surprise, then, that in English the hydroids are called … immortal jellyfish.
The jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii, found in every ocean, have similar abilities. What is its life cycle? Well, it matures, reproduces, and then … develops back to the initial stage. It can, for example, turn a nerve cell into a gamete. Again, it can go on like this forever. The time between cycles is from several hours (!) To several months.
Why are other animal species unable to spawn in the same way? According to scientists, they are simply too complex to be able to replace old cells with new ones.
Ways of longevity - tricks in the animal world
In the list of the longest-lived animals presented above, species occurring in cold waters dominate, therefore their organisms work at slower speeds and thus live to a very old age. The constancy of environmental conditions is also important for them, which is conducive to a good life unscathed, e.g. in the form of tissue damage. Slow metabolism in cold conditions, however, are not the only tricks from the animal world that ensure longevity. Here are other examples of interesting animals:
Golec (mole rat, naked rat)- despite its small dimensions, it can live to over 20 years ("should" at most 4 years). How does he do it? By living underground all the time, he thus avoids ultraviolet radiation, which often translates intoformation of free radicals harmful to he alth. Meanwhile, Negroes never have tumors! In addition, they have created an interesting social system - they live in colonies, like bees and ants, based on a fertile queen and non-reproducing workers. As a result, the immune system of the entire colony is strengthened.
Termites- a praiseworthy example of how much life in the colonies pays off. Termites hold the record for longevity among insects. They can live up to 50 years.
Brandt's Nocek- representatives of this species of bats can live to over 40 years! This is for a number of reasons. First of all, like sharks, they spend most of their lives in the dark, avoiding UV radiation. In addition, they are capable of even several years of hibernation. The action of the so-called chaperone protein. It protects the body against damage to other proteins, and these are the ones that are of great importance when it comes to longevity.
American lobsters- these crustaceans can live up to 100 years. They also skilfully protect their proteins. Even at an advanced age, they can recreate lost limbs. This is helped by the high concentration of the enzyme telomerase, which is responsible for the reconstruction of DNA. For comparison, in humans, significant levels of telomerase are found only in embryonic mother cells.
Long-lived pets
What about pets? Can they be as old as a man? It is not easy, but it is worth mentioning about pets that can live to really old years. A good example are parrots - very sociable, by some even compared to … dogs. They live for several or even several dozen years. In 2004, it was reported that a macaw named Charlie, which belonged to Winston Churchill, was 104 years old! Macaws usually live up to 50 years, while the African Gray and Cockatoo - 60. The life of 40-50 years is distinguished by Amazons, and Alexandrettes - 20-30 years.
Other long-lived pets are reptiles. Turtles can live for several dozen years, snakes - 15-30, and lizards up to 20. Guinea pigs live quite a long time among rodents, even up to 10 years. For comparison, dogs live 12-15 years, and cats 18-20 years.