There are tortoises alive today that were twenty-five to fifty years old when Charles Darwin was born. There are whales swimming the oceans with 200-year-old ivory spear points embedded in their flesh. There are cold-water sponges that were filter feeding during the days of the Roman Empire. In fact, there are a number of creatures with life spans that make the oldest living human seem like a spring chicken in comparison.
1. Geoducks
First on the list are these large saltwater clams that are native to the Puget Sound and have been known to live for at least 160 years. They are characterized by their long “necks,” or siphons, which can grow to over one meter long.
Photo courtesy of Joe Mabel (cc)
2. Tuataras
The word “dinosaur” is commonly used to describe an old person, but when it refers to a tuatara, the term is as literal as it is metaphorical. The two species of tuatara alive today are the only surviving members of an order that flourished about 200 million years ago—they are living dinosaurs. They are also among the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth, with some individuals living for anywhere between 100 and 200 years.
3. Lamellibrachia Tube Worms
These colorful deep sea creatures are tubeworms (L. luymesi) that live along hydrocarbon vents on the ocean floor. They have been known to live 170 years, but many scientists believe there may be some that have lived for more than 250 years.
Photo courtesy of Charles Fisher (cc)
4. Red Sea Urchins
The red sea urchin, or Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, is found only in the Pacific Ocean, primarily along the West Coast of North America. It lives in shallow, sometimes rocky, waters from the low-tide line down to ninety meters, but they stay out of extremely wavy areas. They crawl along the ocean floor using their spines as stilts. If you discover one, remember to respect your elders—some specimens are more than 200 years old.
