Human lifespan is actually quite short, lasting only a handful of years. Compared to many animals, human life is undoubtedly much shorter. Today, let's take a look at five of the longest-living animals on Earth; even the third-ranked one can live up to 500 years!
Fifth place: Galapagos tortoise
Sellers of turtles often tell customers, "If you take good care of it, it can live to see you off." This isn't an exaggeration; the longevity of turtles is a well-known fact.
Among turtles, the Galapagos tortoise is a prime example of longevity. It is currently the largest land tortoise on Earth, reaching lengths of up to 1.5 meters, comparable to the height of a normal adult human.
Because of their enormous size, they move very slowly. Most of the time, their movement is limited to crawling, and they spend the rest of their time sleeping. Because of their small range of activity, their self-protection mechanisms are very robust; they can survive for up to two years without any food or water.
Fourth place, Koi
Koi are a very common animal in life. You can see them in markets, parks, and even in your own fish tank.
This seemingly inconspicuous animal actually has a very long lifespan. Provided the environment and water quality are maintained, they can live up to 200 years.
Now you all know that besides symbolizing good luck, koi are also extremely long-lived animals.
Third place, Arctic Ha
This scientific name may not be common, but they are also known as clams.
As its name suggests, the Arctic char lives in the cold Arctic. Its shell is very hard, which can withstand the cold Arctic climate, but at the same time, its growth rate is also much slower.
Compared to the clams we commonly see, they have a much longer lifespan. Some of the longer-lived clams can reach an astonishing 500 years!
Second place, water bears
Water bears are extremely resilient and rarely affected by external conditions. Factors such as climate, sunlight, and water are not enough to hinder their growth.
Their lifespan can be as long as a thousand years or more.
Because of their remarkable resilience, scientists even sent them into space. And even living in space, facing the challenges of air pollution and radiation, they still survived thanks to their tenacious vitality.
First place: Turritopsis dohrnii
After seeing these long-lived animals, are you all eager to see what the animal with the longest lifespan looks like?
This animal is the Turritopsis dohrnii. While tardigrades survive for thousands of years thanks to their tenacious vitality, the Turritopsis dohrnii's longevity is due to its natural constitution.
The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) is the only known creature in the world capable of reverting from its juvenile stage to its early childhood stage. Simply put, it's like an 18-year-old adult who can reverse aging and revert to a child's state.
For this reason, it is also known as the immortal jellyfish.
After learning about these five animals with extremely long lifespans, what other long-lived animals have you seen in your daily life? Feel free to share your experiences with animals that live on cliffs in the comments section.
