From the moment of birth, an organism follows a standard life cycle until it dies. However, certain animals are known for having remarkably long lifespans. While humans generally live around seventy years, some species live far beyond that. In captivity, many animals live longer due to protection from predators and a consistent food supply, but numerous species also thrive in the wild. Wondering which animals have lived the longest? Discover the 10 oldest animals ever documented in history.
10. Frog
The oldest frog in the world, reportedly discovered in New Zealand, lived to be 37 years old, while most frogs typically do not exceed a lifespan of thirty years.
09. Bat
A bat from Siberia, the oldest known of its kind, lived to be 41 years old—9.8 times longer than its typical lifespan.
08. Black Rhino
Elly, the oldest recorded black rhino, lived at the San Francisco Zoo and reached 46 years of age.
07. Orangutan
Puan is the oldest known orangutan, reaching 60 years of age. She resides at the Perth Zoo in Australia.
06. Chimpanzee
Considered the oldest chimpanzee in captivity, Little Mama resides at Lion Country Safari Theme Park in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is believed to be 74 years old. In the wild, chimpanzees typically only live to about 40 or 50 years old.
05. American Alligator
Muja, the oldest alligator in captivity, survived the bombings in Belgrade during World War II. Although its exact age is unclear, zoologists estimate it to be close to eighty years old.
04. Greater Flamingo
The world’s oldest greater flamingo lived to the age of 83 and was housed at the Adelaide Zoo.
03. Killer Whale
The oldest recorded killer whale, known as J2 or “Granny,” was estimated to be 100 years old. Most female killer whales do not live past their reproductive years, but observing Granny offered valuable insights into how older whales continue to care for their young even in their later years.
02. Ming the Clam
Ming the Clam, born in 1499, was studied by Bangor University and determined through carbon dating to be 507 years old.
1. Jellyfish
Imagine having the power to reverse aging. The jellyfish species Turritopsis dohrnii can do just that. Normally, these jellyfish reproduce with sperm and eggs, but in stressful situations, they can revert their cells to a younger stage and reproduce as*xually, creating identical copies of themselves. In theory, some jellyfish alive today could be hundreds of thousands of years old.