Longevity has always been a secret dream of mankind. The mystery of eternal life has long worried the minds of scientists, poets, writers (especially science fiction writers). At the root of this interest lies simple curiosity, everyone wants to know about what happened before and what will happen next. The duration of average human life over the past decades has increased, but still remains relatively short in the historical understanding of time, and those long-lived animals that could tell a lot of interesting things do not have speech abilities, and therefore they are silent. Despite this, the level of modern science allows us to hear their quiet voice, narrating about bygone centuries.
Why study animals living long
One of the tasks of gerontologists, that is, scientists involved in the problem of aging, is to determine which animal lives the longest and determine the reasons for such longevity.
Reliably determine the age of the caught individuals for modern scientists is not difficult. They offer spectral analysis, other technical means, and even such simple methods as the usual arithmetic calculation of the number of layers on fish scales or a mollusk shell. For all their silence, long-lived animals can tell a lot about the chemical composition of atmospheric air and soil, their diet, and even the temperature conditions of historical periods that are distant from us. True, there are difficulties. The ability to regenerate cells (a quality that is very important for preserving life) leads to the replacement of obsolete cells by newly formed cells, which causes the loss of a certain part of information.
Brain mass and longevity
Warm-blooded long-lived animals, as a rule, have considerable dimensions. The same applies to the mass of the brain. The fact is that this body is responsible not only for mental abilities and storage of instincts, but also for the regulation of metabolism in the body. Reptiles, especially turtles, also obey this law. There is even a direct correlation for each species of the animal world, according to which the average life expectancy of an organism can be calculated by weight. However, there are other factors affecting this indicator.
Arctic sponge
The metabolic rate is the parameter that determines the life span. In this sense, the Antarctic sponge is the record holder. Slow growth and low temperature conditions set the pace at which the development of the creature mentioned occurs. This is the longest-living animal on the entire planet, individual individuals are at the age of one and a half thousand years. Older Antarctic sponges, there is no one on Earth, nor can they notice any sign of an approaching demise.
Sea urchin
The red variety of the sea urchin has approximately the same qualities. More recently, it was believed that their century was short, not more than one and a half decades. This opinion was refuted after an individual was caught with an inscription scratched on it, indicating the capture of this fish in 1805, made by some Lewis and Clark from Oregon. It turned out that these centenarians among animals have a completely unique property that makes them practically immortal, namely the ability to constantly update the cellular structure of the body. Thanks to this feature, they almost do not age.
Ming Dynasty Clam
British biologists have found an Arctic clam, whose age exceeds four centuries. He was born in the era of the Chinese Ming Dynasty, which prompted scientists to give him such a name, although his homeland is the coast of Iceland. At the moment, this is the most long-lived animal in the world among mollusks. Age is determined quite reliably, by the number of lines on the shell. This creature lived under an eight-meter layer of cold Arctic water, being alone, which has preserved it to this day, since none of the natural enemies have managed to get close to it. Now it has become the subject of careful study, as well as a candidate for admission to the honorary list of the Guinness Book of Records for the nomination of centenarians.
Centenarial fish
Centennial pikes, carps, catfish and pikes are not a rarity. The legend of Frederick Barbarossa contains interesting information for ichthyologists that the pike released into the lake four decades after the death of the emperor (and she was already at a venerable age) was caught by fishermen. Everything would be fine, but she spent 267 years in the pond, so she lived for at least three centuries. During this time, the fish reached a weight of 140 kg.
Artifacts found inside the huge sturgeons, sharks, pikes and carps caught prove that a hundred years is not age for them.
Reptiles living long
Turtles are famous for their longevity, and elephants that live on the Galapagos Islands stand out among them. It is they who cook the famous soup, and if the individuals managed to avoid this sad fate, then she has every chance to celebrate her two-century anniversary. The recorded record of life expectancy is 255 years, that is how many “hit” Advante - the beloved turtle of the English general Clive. When the colonizer died, she was transferred to the menagerie of the city of Calcutta. Ministers of the zoo were changing, epoch-making events took place. War and revolution thundered on the planet, India gained state independence, and the old reptile continued to delight visitors with its excellent health. She died only in 2006.
Longevity Mammals
Greenland whales are true centenarians among mammalian animals. Their age can be judged by the tips of harpoons stuck centuries ago during attempts to catch these ocean giants. The recorded life expectancy of a whale, which was named Bada, was 211 years.
There are long-lived animals among land mammals, but their records are much more modest, and they are more likely to be the exception than the rule. For example, if, on average, the horse’s age does not exceed 35 years, then the English mare, the Bee, reached 62. For a year, Bonaparte’s personal horse managed to live Merengue, which even if special care was taken into account, can be called an impressive achievement.
For 29 years a cat named Spassk delighted its owners, for which he was posthumously awarded an entry in the Guinness Book (1999).
Feathered centenarians
Of all the birds, a raven is chosen as a symbol of wisdom. Some peoples consider it eternal, but this is not so. He lives a long time, sometimes more than two centuries, but on average, the age of the bird reaches hundreds of years. Interestingly, in captivity he lives longer than in freedom. Equally long is the existence of a falcon, a kite and, of course, a parrot. The latter is a frequent guest in a human dwelling, therefore, tracking the dates of his birth and death is much easier than in the case of wild birds.
