Like other mammals, the calf stays with its mom for up to a year and often in close contact. Some deep-sea fish, like the orange roughy, live to be 175 years old, according to the book Sexuality in Fishes.
"Whatâs the top ranking of the longest living animal?â Mohamed Larbi Bahou asked Weird Animal Question of the Week. Let us know or leave another question in the comments. âPeople often forget sponges are animalsââand some of them very long-lived animals at that, Marah J. Hardt, author of Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection With Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep, says via email. The life span varies by subspecies of right whale. A whale of a lifespan Bowhead whales may unlock the secrets to a long, healthy life The bowhead whale is the first large whale to have its genome analyzed. We live an average of 71 yearsâa drop in the bucket compared with some other life-spans. Factors affecting the lifespan of a whale.
One study in the journal Aging Research Reviews notes a deep-sea sponge from the species Monorhaphis chuni lived to be 11,000 years old. A bowhead whale surfaces from a dive in the chilly waters of Lancaster Sound, Canada.
Estimates of sponge longevity vary quite a bit, but are often in the thousands of years. Here's hoping their population, at least, can soar again.
John Klicka, curator of birds at the Burke Museum in Seattle, says the oldest known wild bird is a 65-year-old Laysan albatross named Wisdom, which has shattered scientists' belief that her species lives to 40. Not only that, Wisdom is still giving birth to and raising healthy chicks. Right whales were named by whalers who identified them as the “right” whale to kill on a hunt. (Also see "405-Year-Old Clam Called Longest-Lived Animal."). Right whale mothers and their calves exhibit strong behavioral attachments.
Carl Linnaeus named this whale in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae (1758). The quahogâs life-span is usually about 225 years. No comment. Ear wax can be used to estimate age in right whales after they have died. Whale, that’s all folks! (Related: "Healthy Diet Helps 183-Year-Old Tortoise Feel Young Again.").
Big birds like albatrosses tend to live longer, so they mature later and breed less frequently, Klicka says, whereas small birds âare lucky to live five years in the wild." It makes sense, since the marine mammals live in chilly waters, says Don Moore, director of the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Photograph by Paul Nicklen, Nat Geo Image Collection, Meet the Animal That Lives for 11,000 Years, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/07/animals-oldest-sponges-whales-fish.html, The average global life expectancy of someone born in 2015 is 71.4 years, some adult female mayflies, which live for under five minutes, 405-Year-Old Clam Called Longest-Lived Animal, Six of the Worldâs Longest Lived Mammal Species, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, that lives on the grounds of the governorâs mansion in St. Helena, Healthy Diet Helps 183-Year-Old Tortoise Feel Young Again, Wisdom is still giving birth to and raising healthy chicks. Researchers are using its genetic blueprint to probe how it is that this species can live longer than 200 years. Right whales can probably live at least 70 years, but data on their average lifespan is limited. Take sponges, for example. What oldsters did we miss? As stated earlier there are several factors that can affect a whales lifespan.
LOKE FILM AND ADAM SCHMEDES/CELL REPORTS 2015.
There are a little more than a hundred kakapos left on Earth. Incidentally, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, the bowhead also has the largest mouth of any animal.
Sign up for our emails! When hypothermia stands in the way of Paul Nicklen's dream of photographing a 50-foot bowhead whale, sometimes a little push is all that is needed. As far as mammals go, bowhead whales seem to have the most candles on their cakeâover 200. Giant tortoises take shelter beneath vegetation on Aldabra, part of the Seychelles Islands. Another way to determine life span is to look at groups of closely related species.
(Related: "Six of the Worldâs Longest Lived Mammal Species."). All rights reserved. Photograph by Paul Nicklen, Nat Geo Image Collection. Typically, the life between 50-70 years.
A cold environment causes a low body temperature, which in turn means slow metabolismâand thus less damage to tissues, Moore says. Talk about speed dating.
They're also the only flightless parrots in the world.