There are many examples in the animal kingdom that will make even the oldest
person in the world feel like a youngster. In the following list you will
find some of the "age record holders of the wild", the last one even changed
everything we thought we knew about natural life and aging!
Here's Some Of Nature's Oldest Members. Enjoy! :)
Cookie the Cockatoo
Cookie, an at least 83-year-old cockatoo and one of Chicago's best known zoo animals, died over the weekend at Brookfield
Zoo, the zoo announced Aug, 2016. He has significantly exceeded the average lifespan
for his kind and is one of the longest living birds in known history. Just to give
you a comparison to compare his amazing age, the next oldest Major Mitchell's
Cockatoo is "only" 31 years old.
Greater the Flamingo
Named after his breed of "Grater Flamingos", Greater was a true fighter with an
incredible story. While others of his kind have an average life expectancy of 20 -
25 years, Greater lived to be 83 years old. This senior citizen of the Adelaide
Zoo in Australia even survived a shocking case of abuse in 2008. He was put to
sleep in 2014 to spare him from pains caused by medical conditions.
Bowhead Whales
These giant mammals live in the freezing waters of the Arctic Circle and are known
to live up to 200 years. This makes them the longest living mammals on Earth.
In addition, to get all the food they need to live that long, Bowhead Whales are
also the record holders for the largest mouth of any animal.
Granny the Orca
Granny (born c. 1911 to c. 1951 (disputed), presumed dead between October-December
2016), also known as J2, was an orca - killer whale. She was estimated by some
whale researchers to have been 105 years old, but her age is a source of dispute,
with other studies putting her at age 65-80. Granny was captured and released
with the rest of her pod in 1967. Despite her age, she was just as active and
able as other members of the pod.
Henry the Tuatara
The Tuatara are lizards found only in New Zealand and Herny is the oldest known
one at the age of 120. Not only is he the undisputed star of the Southland Museum
in Invercargill, but he also became a proud father a few years ago, possibly for
the first time, at the age of 111.
George the Lobster
Lobsters don't stop growing for as long as they live so when 20 pounds
(9.1 kg) George was captured in 2008, it was clear he is no young boy.
Researchers estimate he was about 140 years old and even though he was
bought by a sea food restaurant in New York, this old-timer was released
to live out the rest of his days in freedom.
Orange Roughy Fish
The orange roughy is notable for its extraordinary lifespan, about 150 years.
These fish have 'growth rings' on their body much like a tree has. By counting
by the rings of orange roughys it was found that they can live to a maximum
age of 125 to 156 years. The fish is actually a bright, brick-red color however,
the orange roughy fades to a yellowish orange after death.
Russian Sturgeon Fish
Most of these fish live for 55 - 60 years, but there have been known cases
of some sturgeons living up to 152 years old. What's really amazing about
them is that they are living fossils, they have existed in their current
form since the time of the dinosaurs!
Geoduck
These large, edible, saltwater clams are mostly found along the west coast
of North America. The shell of the clam ranges from 15 centimeters (5.9 in)
to over 20 centimeters (7.9 in) in length, but the extremely long siphons
make the clam itself much longer than this. The 'eck', or siphons, alone
can be up to 1 meter (3.3 ft) in length. The geoduck is both one of the
largest clams in the world, and one of the longest-lived animals of any type.
The oldest recorded specimen was 168 years old.
Red Sea Urchins
Most of these spiky little creatures live to about 30 years of age, which is
about average in the animal kingdom and not really impressive. However,
marine biologists have found some Red Sea Urchins in the freezing north
waters near Alaska that were almost 200 years old!
Adwaita the Giant Tortoise
His name means 'the only one' in Sanskrit. He was believed to be amongst
the longest-living animals in the world when he died in 2006, at the age
of 255 years. Adwaita was reportedly given to Robert Clive of the East
India Company by British seafarers who captured it from Aldabra, an atoll
in the Seychelles Islands. Weighing 250 kg (590 lb), he lived on a diet
of wheat bran, carrots, lettuce, soaked gram, bread, grass and salt.
Ming the Clam
Ming was a nickname given to a specimen of the ocean quahog clam that was dredged
off the coast of Iceland in 2006. Its age was calculated by counting the annual
growth lines in the shell. Originally thought to be 405 years old, the clam was
later determined to be 507 years old! Ming was the oldest individual (non-colonial)
animal ever discovered.
The immortal jellyfish
This is a species of small jellyfish which is found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the waters of Japan. It is unique in that it exhibits a certain form of "immortality". It is the only known case of an animal capable of reverting completely to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary stage. Simply speaking, this means that it has the ability to change its age from mature to baby.
Theoretically, this process can go on indefinitely, effectively rendering the jellyfish biologically immortal.
For those of you who Want More FUN - Visit The Shangy Fun List! Variety is the
spice of life! The Shangy Fun List is an ezine packed full of Poems, Inspirational and
Heart Warming Stories. Jokes from G to slightly R, and Anything else that just
might make you SMILE! Join In The Free FUN!! ... :)
SHANGRALA'S
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