Which reptile lives the longest

The tuatara is one of the species that has inhabited the Earth for over million years. The tuatara lives on the small islands of New Zealand and they grow very slowly. This small animal leads only a nocturnal lifestyle.

The lizard lives upto 60 years but they can live over years in captivity, reaching a length of 76 cm. Also, the animal represents beak-headed, while it is the only living representative of this order today. Outwardly, the reptile resembles a large iguana. The lizard is distinguished by the presence of a "third eye" on the crown, although in an adult it is overgrown with scales.

This mammal is the second largest among elephants. The animal grows up to 3. In adults, there are no enemies in nature, except for humans who have long used Indian elephants as a labour force. In the wild, elephants live for years, domesticated animals in a comfortable environment live up to 80 years. Chengalloor Dakshayani was the oldest elephant in the world died at the age of 88 in February owned by Travancore Devaswom Board and kept at the Chengalloor Mahadeva Temple in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India.

The oldest female Asian elephant actively participated in city festivals, religious ceremonies and processions, and, despite her advanced years, did an excellent job and felt good.

However, in the last years of her life, she ceased to be active and no longer took part in public events. Videos News India. Latest Stories. Mutual Funds. Worth X.

Science And Future. Human Interest. Social Relevance. Healthy Living. Here is a list of some of the longest living animals: 1. Turritopsis dohrnii Pinterest The jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii has no brain and heart and is considered the only immortal creature on Earth ; it lives in tropical waters.

Giants Galapagos Tortoise AFP Giant Galapagos tortoises are endemic to the famous Galapagos Islands archipelago and have always been considered one of the longest living creatures on Earth and rightfully so, as they are the vertebrates with the longest lifespan, averaging years. Lamellibrachia Wikimedia This is a type of giant tubeworm that is a type of marine annelid earthworm , which lives on the seabed near hydrocarbons leaking out of the seafloor. Bowhead Whale Awesomeocean The credit for being the longest-living mammal on the planet goes to the bowhead whale, also known as the Arctic whale.

Rougheye rockfish Youtube Rougheye rockfish is one of the largest living fish. Tuatara AFP The tuatara is one of the species that has inhabited the Earth for over million years.

This saltwater species can live even longer than the other bivalve in this list, the freshwater pearl mussels. One ocean quahog clam found off the coast of Iceland in was years old, according to National Museum Wales in the U. The ancient clam was nicknamed Ming as it was born in when the Ming Dynasty ruled China from to Corals look like colorful, underwater rocks and plants, but they are actually made up of the exoskeletons of invertebrates called polyps.

These polyps continually multiply and replace themselves by creating a genetically identical copy, which over time causes the coral exoskeleton structure to grow bigger and bigger. Corals are therefore made up of multiple identical organisms rather than being a single organism, like Greenland sharks or ocean quahog clams, so a coral's lifespan is more of a team effort. Corals can live for hundreds of years or more, but deep-water black corals Leiopathes sp.

Black coral specimens found off the coast of Hawaii have been measured to be 4, years old, Live Science previously reported. Sponges are made up of colonies of animals, similar to corals, and can also live for thousands of years. Glass sponges are among the longest living sponges on Earth. Members of this group are often found in the deep ocean and have skeletons that resemble glass, hence their name, according to NOAA.

A study published in the journal Chemical Geology estimated that a glass sponge belonging to the species Monorhaphis chuni was about 11, years old. Other sponge species may be able to live even longer. Related: Arctic sponges crawl around the seafloor and leave bizarre brown trails to prove it. Turritopsis dohrnii are called immortal jellyfish because they can potentially live forever. Jellyfish start life as larvae, before establishing themselves on the seafloor and transforming into polyps.

These polyps then produce free-swimming medusas, or jellyfish. Mature Turritopsis dohrnii are special in that they can turn back into polyps if they are physically damaged or starving, according to the American Museum of Natural History , and then later return to their jellyfish state. The jellyfish, which are native to the Mediterranean Sea, can repeat this feat of reversing their life cycle multiple times and therefore may never die of old age under the right conditions, according to the Natural History Museum in London.

Turritopsis dohrnii are tiny — less than 0. Hydra is a group of small invertebrates with soft bodies that look a bit like jellyfish. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email.

Bob Strauss. Science Writer. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Strauss, Bob. The 11 Longest-Lived Animals. Facts About Narwhals, the Unicorns of the Sea. Greenland Shark Facts Somniosus microcephalus. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo.

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