Sea sponges live into their thousands, and some mayflies only get 300 seconds to #yolo. But Earth is filled with millions of species, which got us wondering: Who are the oldest living animals on the planet today?
Oldest Living Animal: Jonathan the Giant Tortoise
In 1832, an Aldabra giant tortoise in eastern Africa watched her babies crack their shells and lumber into the world. Today, one of her sons is still kicking it on St. Helena Island, where he retired in 1882. His name is Jonathan; he lives on the governor’s estate, and at 188 years old, scientists believe he’s the oldest living land animal currently on Earth. Slow, gentle, and surprisingly sociable, Jonathan regularly strolls around his gardens and courts human company.
These days, Jonathan feels great. But five years ago, things looked bleak when he lost his eyesight and sense of smell! The governor summoned Joe Hollins, a local veterinarian, who put Jonathan on a strict diet of apples, carrots, guava, cucumbers, and bananas. The lifestyle change worked wonders, and today, Johnny is living his best life.
But compared to Adwaita, another giant tortoise, Jonathan is a youngster. A longtime resident of the Alipore Zoological Garden, Adwaita lived for 256 years!
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Oldest Living Human: Kane Tanaka
Kane Tanaka, at 117, is the oldest living human. Born and raised in Japan, Tanaka married in 1922 and retired in 1966. Today, she lives in a hospital and spends her days doing math calculations, strolling the halls, playing Othello, and drinking sweet beverages, her favorite.
But Ms. Tanaka still hasn’t beat Jeanne Calment’s record. The French woman lived for 122 years and 164 days before passing away in 1997.
Oldest Living Bird: Wisdom the Laysan Albatross
A Laysan albatross named Wisdom is one of the oldest living animals currently whizzing through the friendly skies. She hatched in 1951 and still flying strong. Researchers tagged 5-year-old Wisdom in 1956. Since then, they’ve tracked her through the wild.
Sturdy and resilient, Wisdom has flown over three million miles and survived several natural disasters. The avian community’s Mrs. Vassilyev, Wisdom has laid 40 eggs to date. That’s a lot considering most albatrosses tap out at 20!
Oldest Living Marine Animals: Bowhead Whales
Bowhead whales are gargantuan, live very long lives, and have massive triangle-shaped heads that pierce through Arctic ice like its water.
We tend to view high metabolism as a plus, but bowhead whales likely think differently. Since they live in frigid waters and maintain low body temps, their metabolism is glacial. The result is longer lives and less tissue damage.
As a result, bowheads live well into their hundreds. According to researchers, the current record holder lived for 211 years. Today, scientists believe a 150-year-old whale is probably whizzing through northern waters.
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A Posthumous Homage to Ming the 507-Year-Old Clam
Though he’s no longer with us, we’d be remiss not to mention Ming, the quahog clam who lived to 507 years old.
Sadly, in 2006, marine biologists accidentally killed Ming by prying open his shell. For years, everyone thought he was 405, but a closer look revealed the truth: Ming was born in 1499, 260 years before humans discovered electricity!
And there it is: our list of the oldest living animals on Earth.
