Top 15 Most Fascinating Longevity Animals Worldwide

This aquatic creature, scientifically named Turritopsis nutricula, originated from the Caribbean Sea and has now spread across numerous seas worldwide. It's dubbed the immortal jellyfish due to its remarkable ability to undergo rejuvenation, reverting from adulthood to the juvenile stage repeatedly. In most cases, immortal jellyfish individuals face threats only when encountering enemies or being hunted. Consequently, scientists are yet to determine their average lifespan.

The immortal jellyfish stands as the sole immortal animal globally documented.

True to its name, the Ocean Quahog resides in the ocean and is utilized in various places for commercial purposes. By examining the growth rings on its shell, scientists estimate its average lifespan to be around 400 years. In other words, they can live from one generation to another in a human family.

Scientists once discovered a quahog specimen with a lifespan reaching 507 years. Unfortunately, it perished before they realized it was the longest-living clam on the planet. After each summer, the number of rings on a quahog shell increases by one. Thanks to this, scientists can accurately determine the age of these clams.

Many people think that sponges are simple organisms, even considering them more as plants than animals. However, not only classified as a fundamental animal species, the lifespan of the Antarctic Sponge will leave you astonished.

The Antarctic Sponge is incredibly tiny and looks like a small swimming piece of white foam. Despite its simple structure and unassuming appearance, this sponge is one of the most remarkably long-lived creatures. It can live up to 1550 years before it fades away.

Koi fish, a commonly bred species in Japan, is closely related to goldfish. Known for its vibrant colors and graceful movements while swimming, Koi fish is considered a symbol of good luck in Japanese culture.

Famous not only for its eye-catching appearance and colorful tattoos, Koi fish is also recognized as one of the long-lived, intelligent, and adaptable fish species to human interaction. In some places, their playful nature is even utilized for circus performances.

What's more astonishing is its lifespan, averaging up to 200 years. In 1977, a Koi fish named Hanako was discovered to have lived for 226 years.

The Ming clam

Normally, this species has an average lifespan of about 225 years. However, climate change coupled with other factors has led to a significant decline in the lifespan of the Ming clam.

The Polar Bear, a baleen whale species in the Balaenidae family of the Mysticeti suborder. This robust, dark-colored whale lacks a dorsal fin, measuring 14-18m in length and weighing 60-80 tons. It exclusively inhabits the food-rich Arctic region, unlike other whale species that migrate to lower latitudes for feeding or breeding. The Polar Bear is the longest-lived mammal, boasting an average lifespan of 200 years. Explaining this phenomenon, Don Moore, director of a zoo in the United States, suggests that due to its year-round residence in cold waters, the whale experiences a significant reduction in body temperature, slowing down the aging process. With an average lifespan of around 200 years, this mammalian species has earned its place among the animals with the highest longevity.

Tuatara Lizard is a rare lizard species that still exists today with traces dating back hundreds of millions of years to the dinosaur era. This lizard species measures about 60-100cm in length and thrives in New Zealand. It bears spines on its back resembling mythical dragons and has an eye on the top of its head. This eye gradually disappears as they mature.

Tuatara Lizard survives to this day as the last representative of a species that thrived 200 million years ago on Earth. They are vertebrates with a lifespan that can reach up to 200 years.

Elephant Trunk Shellfish is a bivalve mollusk belonging to the Mactridae family in the Veneroida order. They are also called elephant tusks or protruding clams.

A elephant trunk shellfish can survive up to 146 years without any health issues. This remarkable longevity may stem from their few natural enemies and a very healthy lifestyle.

In terms of appearance, this clam has a shell size of about 15 – 20 cm, notably with a soft part protruding like an elephant trunk, about 8 – 10 times the length of the shell. Elephant trunk shellfish often lies deep under the sand and only lives in one place throughout its life.

Red Sea Urchin, also known as sea hedgehog or red sea urchin, refers to a spiky-skinned creature living in the oceans. True to its name, red sea urchin has skin covered with spikes and has a spherical shape that looks quite intimidating.

Throughout the year, this creature swims in the shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean and feeds on its favorite food, algae. Perhaps due to its less complex body structure, nourished by nutrients from algae, this creature has a lifespan of over 200 years – on par with the North Polar whale.

Kakapo Parrot primarily inhabits New Zealand, residing in humid tropical forests. In appearance, they look quite like a parrot with a hooked beak, bright eyes, and notably, an inability to fly.

The lifespan of the Kakapo Parrot can be equivalent to a human lifetime: 60 years. Unfortunately, they are currently facing the risk of extinction.

Albatross is a bird species with a high lifespan, capable of living up to 60 years. It is also one of the birds with the longest wingspan on Earth, with a maximum wingspan of up to 3.5m. The weight of mature individuals can reach 10kg. The US Discovery News channel reported on an albatross named Wisdom, living up to 62 years. This species lives in the wild and enjoys soaring over the Pacific Ocean.

Compared to other bird species, albatrosses are remarkable for their late reproduction and their resilience to environmental pollution and human impact. They spend most of their lives in the sky. Importantly, the energy they use when flying is less than when they land. Albatrosses only come to land when they need to mate.

Among reptiles, turtles (both land and sea turtles) have a longer lifespan. Sea turtles can live up to 100 years. They are large-bodied individuals, usually weighing around 150kg and reaching lengths of 1.5m. In particular, giant land turtles (weighing around 200kg) can even live up to 200 years.

Although they have a high lifespan, turtles do not age but always remain in a state of 'adolescence.' Biologically, scientists have found that there is no significant difference between a young turtle and one over 100 years old.

Lobsters are a delicacy enjoyed by many, and their astonishing lifespan is not widely known. Experts have discovered that lobsters actually don't 'age' but instead continue to grow.

Lobsters do not experience any age-related issues like humans and, in fact, become healthier over time. When their outer shell becomes too small, hindering growth, the lobster simply sheds the shell and continues to grow.

Many lobsters weighing around 9kg with an impressive age of up to 140 years have been caught. Truly remarkable.

Longfin Eels of New Zealand have their origins in New Zealand and Australia. These eels typically live up to 60 years, with the longest-lived individual recorded at 106 years.

Similar to the Greenland shark, these fish have a slow growth rate, which is why they can live for such an extended period.

Mandarin Fish has a deep, flattened body with a small mouth far from its eyes, a single dorsal fin with both spiny and soft rays, short anal fin, long and pointed pectoral fins, relatively large and tightly attached scales. They inhabit tropical and subtropical shallow waters and feed on the sea bottom.

Mandarin Fish is a slow-growing and long-living species. Its estimated maximum lifespan is up to 149 years, but currently, this fish is facing depletion due to overfishing.