What are the longest living marine species in the world ?

N°13 Sturgeon

125 years 

This fish, related to caviar, belongs to one of the the oldest family of bony fish in the world, it has no scales and can reach a length of over 7 meters. In 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has caught a sturgeon and marked it as 125 years old, before releasing it into the wild. See also: “7 of the largest and biggest freshwater fish“.

N°12 Lobster

140 years 

In 2008, an American lobster that weight more than 9 kg was caught in the United States. In order to estimate its age, the scientists measured its size and counted the number of rings on his eye stalks. The lobster has a particular feature that makes it suitable for survival, it can regenerate its limbs predators torn off. This lobster, named George, was released into the wild in 2009. 

N°11 Orange Roughy

149 years 

The orange roughy is a fish that can be found in all the oceans of the world but lives at depths located between 900 and 1,800 meters deep. 

N°10 Eel

150 years 

Ale, a European eel was put in a Swedish wells in 1859 to feed on insects polluting the fresh water.People expected it to live there a peaceful life for fifty years but this eel has surprised everyone living there for 150 years 

N°9 Geoduck

168 years 

This edible mollusk with its particular and suggestive shape is considered as one of the biggest in the world. Its body is buried in the sand and its end protrudes from the surface for sucking the orderly passing nearby. It is a very popular dish in Asia. 

N°8 Giant tube worm Lamellibrachia luymesi

170 years 

This species of tube worms lives in the deep cold waters, especially where hydrocarbons, such as oil or methane, escape from the basement. These worms can reach up to three meters long but grow very slowly allowing them to live for a very long time. According to specialists, it can live until 170 years old.

N°7 Red Sea Urchin

200 years 

The red sea urchin is native to the Pacific Ocean. It is, as the name suggests the biggest known urchin with a diameter of about 20 cm and spines that measures over 8 cm. It also has considerable life expectancy, thanks to its ability to regenerate its lost peaks. 

N°6 Bowhead whales

211 years 

This whale can measure 20 meters long and a hundred tons and  lives all its life in the arctic and subarctic waters. Scientists also believe that this species can live over 200 years due to its very slow metabolism, adapted to the cold environment. In 2001, analysis made on a bowhead allowed scientists to find out it was around 211 years old, this, making it the oldest mammals on earth.

N°5 Carp River

226 years 

Hanako flower girl was the oldest koi documented in the world. Born in Japan in 1751 it died in 1977 at the respectable age of 226 years. 

N°4 Pearl mussel freshwater

250 years 

The mold is rather famous for perfectly accompany the fries in Belgium. But do you know that the pearl mussel has an exceptional longevity, that often exceeds a century? Recently, a Russian scientist Valeriy Ziuganov discovered the mussels do not have signs of aging and that their maximum lifespan could reach 250 years. 

N°3 Greenland Shark

400 years 

The Greenland shark is a shark species from the North Atlantic part of the world that used to move very slowly in cold water rarely exceeding a swimming speed of 1 kilometre per hour in order to preserve its energy for hunting. Moreover, this shark has a most unfortunate companion. Indeed, from birth until the end of its life, the Greenland shark loses sight a little more each day as a parasitic crustacean is devouring its cornea. You can also have a look at: “The 7 weirdest sharks”.

N°2 Clam

507 years 

This mollusk is found around the Icelandic costs. The age of a shell is determined by counting the number of growth rings on its shell. The record was set by Ming who lived for 507 years and was killed by accident in 2006 by scientists who wanted to study it … 

N°1 Immortal jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii and Turritopsis nutricula

Biological immortality 

This jellyfish is known for its unique feature, the ability to rejuvenate. Indeed, this jellyfish can return to a state of sexual immaturity after reaching sexual maturity. Whenever the jellyfish is exposed to stress or physical attack, it returns to asexual stage polyp, through the cell development process called transdifferentiation, which alters the different stages of the cells transforming them into new cell types. This makes the potentially immortal jellyfish biologically, if it is not the victim of disease or predators. 

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