It is said that wisdom and experience come with age, and if this is true, HE animal world have many longevity teachers. The question that bothers us is this: Which one animal world’s oldest Even if you think it’s you after a long day at work, people have a pretty long life. life expectancy an average of 71.4 years (according to 2015 data).
But, compared to adult female mayflies, our lives seem like eternity, because these insects live less than five minutes, long enough to mate and lay eggs. And we think our life is busy!
Treasures and ancient secrets of the ocean
to find amazing longevity animals, we search for marine life where we find sponges. As Marah J. Hardt, author of Sex in the Sea, puts it, “We often forget that sponges are animals.” Some sponges can live for several thousand years. Monorhaphis chunireaching 11,000 yearsAccording to a study in Aging Research Review.
Ming, an Icelandic oyster, reached an astonishing 507 years before he was killed by researchers trying to extract it from Icelandic waters.. Meanwhile, the orange bully (Hoplostethus atlanticus) can live up to 175 years, as mentioned in the book Sexuality in Fish.
As far as mammals are concerned, Bowhead whales win 200-year lifespan award. Don Moore, director of the Oregon Zoo in Portland, explains that living in cold water contributes to lower body temperature, which results in slower metabolism and less tissue damage.
Jonathan’s Story: The World’s Longevity Master
We’re going to the mainland, we’re meeting Jonathan, the 190-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise, currently holds the title of the world’s oldest living land animal.. John, where he has witnessed the passing of 31 governors since 1882. He lives in the Governor’s Mansion on Helena Island. Despite his old age, this wise turtle continues to bask in the sun in the mansion’s lush gardens called Plantation House.
Jonathan has been in love for a long time, met Fred the tortoise in 1991 and shared moments and matings together for thirty years. The duo remained inseparable, although a discovery in 2017 suggested that Fred might have been a man rather than a woman.
Secrets of the Greenland Shark: Veteran of the Sea
As for the longevity champion in the marine realm, According to a study published in National Geographic, the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is considered the longest living vertebrate on Earth, born around 1505.. These sharks can live between 272 and 512 years, determined by the chemical composition of the tissue in the center of the lens of the eye.
Although these sharks grow slowly and their meat is poisonous, they can be very important to humans. Understanding how they can live for so many years without developing cancer or other diseases may offer answers for delaying human aging. Moreover, They reach sexual maturity at the age of 150.this makes it necessary to protect them from fishing in order to prevent them from being endangered.
Some birds have annual “eggs”
On the other hand, in the kingdom of birds, Wisdom is the 65-year-old Laysan albatross who refutes the scientific belief that her species only lives to 40.. John Klicka, curator of birds at the Burke Museum in Seattle, notes that Wisdom not only continues to lay eggs, but also raises healthy chicks.
Longevity cases The animal kingdom is as diverse as they are fascinating.. From sponges living in the depths of the ocean for thousands of years to the humble albatross that defies the average lifespan of its species, these animals show us that time is relative and that life can be experienced at different scales.
In short, these titans of longevity teach us that life is a fabric of experiences, where every being, whether human, oyster, shark or albatross, is the hero of its own epic tale. Through these animals, we discover lessons about perseverance, adaptability, and the enigma surrounding life on our diverse and puzzling planet.