5 animals that live longer than 100 years - scientists can not reveal their secret

Most people today live to be around 70 years old.and die - such is the harsh truth of life. Only a few become centenarians who manage to live for more than a century, because a long life expectancy is made up of many factors. Among them are good genetics, a high level of income, the ability to cope with stress and maintaining an active lifestyle without bad habits. In general, in order to gain longevity, you need to carefully monitor yourself, as well as become a winner in the genetic lottery. At the same time, some animals do not need anything special for a long life - nature has decreed that they can easily live for more than 100 years without much difficulty. The secret of longevity of some of them has not yet been revealed.

Some species of monkeys live up to 45 years, but there are long-lived animals

Interesting fact: all the animals listed below cause greatinterest in gerontologists - scientists who study the causes of human aging. Perhaps in the future they will create a cure for old age, because it is believed that aging is a disease that can be cured.

Content

• 1 How long does a bowhead whale live
• 2 Guidac - the longest-lived mollusk
• 3 How many years does a European pearl oyster live
• How long do giant tortoises live
• 5 The longest living animal in the world

How long does a bowhead whale live

Bowhead whales are marine mammalswho usually live in the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Their body length reaches 20 meters, and the mass of some individuals is 150 tons. They are able to dive to a depth of 200 meters and stay there for up to 40 minutes. On average, they swim at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

Most bowhead whales live around 40years, but there are individuals who live up to 200 years of age - this is a record among vertebrates. Judging by numerous observations, bowhead whales grow and develop throughout their long lives. With age, the rate of development does not slow down - older individuals grow as quickly as young ones.

Bowhead whales are very rare - today only about 400 individuals live in the world.

You can determine the age of a whale by its protein contentin the lens of the eye. If the eye becomes cloudy, it means that the marine mammal has grown old and may soon die. Thanks to what whales live to a record age, scientists still do not know. But they have an idea about the most common cause of their death - perhaps the whales die by hitting the rocks due to blindness.

IMPORTANT: In 2016, scientists hypothesized thatThe longest-lived vertebrates are the Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) - there is reason to believe that they live up to 400 years. But this opinion is still not officially accepted, so the leadership remains with the bowhead whale.

Guidac - the longest-lived mollusk

Guidak clams are very strange - when looking atmany people have indecent associations with their photos. Their fused siphons can reach 1 meter in length, but they have a fragile shell with a diameter of about 20 centimeters.

clam guidac

These creatures can be kept in captivity, but inthey are found in the wild only in the US and Canada. The average life expectancy of guidacs is 146 years, and one individual generally lived up to 168 years of age. According to scientists, these creatures live so long for two reasons. First, they have a very slow metabolism. Secondly, they have practically no natural enemies - they are sometimes attacked by sharks, but for this, predators first need to get the mollusks from the ground. And this, by the way, is a very difficult task.

In some countries, these mollusks are eaten, but their meat is very tough.

See also: What is the secret of longevity of the citizens of the island of Okinawa, who live 100 years

How many years does a European pearl oyster live

Pearl oysters can surprise with even greater longevity- bivalve molluscs that live in fresh waters of the countries of the Northern Hemisphere. For many years, mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearls were extracted from them, but today the population of these creatures has declined sharply, so this method of extracting precious materials is prohibited and generally considered unprofitable.

Unlike humans, pearl oysters are not afraid of old age - over the years, the likelihood of their death does not increase.

The European pearl mussel holds the record forlongevity among freshwater invertebrates. According to scientists, these creatures can live up to 250 years. The phenomenon of “negligible aging” can be attributed to European pearl oysters, which means that with age, these creatures do not increase the likelihood of death. After the mollusks are 100 years old, with each subsequent year the probability of their death does not increase. But what it is connected with, scientists do not know exactly.

Many have been waiting for the answer to this question. What is death and can it be overcome?

How old do giant tortoises live?

Giant tortoises are amazing creatureswhose homeland is the island of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean. Their body length reaches 120 centimeters, and their weight is up to 300 kilograms. In captivity, these creatures live for about 150 years, but there are individuals who live even longer.

The most famous giant tortoise isAdvaita - She was born around the 1800s and died in 2006. At the time of her death, she was about 256 years old, so she was considered the oldest animal in the world.

Turtle Advaita

In 2023 the oldest tortoise in the worldconsidered to be a male named Jonathan. They live on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean and are owned by the owners of the island. It is believed that Jonathan was born around the 1830s - there is a very old photo of him on the Internet. Today he is about 190 years old.

Jonathan the tortoise in a circa 1900 photograph

Jonathan the Turtle in 2014

It is believed that their longevity is associated with a slow metabolism. And they themselves move very slowly, therefore, their life is long.

You will be interested: Why cold prolongs life

The longest living animal in the world

The title of the longest-lived animal has long beenbelongs to the bivalve mollusc Arctica islandica. Representatives live in the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In 2007, over 400-year-old mollusks were caught off the coast of Iceland, and the oldest individual, named Min, was 507 years old. This record has not yet been broken by anyone.

It was possible to determine the age of bivalve mollusks by drilling the shell and counting its layers.

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At the moment, we can only envythese animals. But in the future, human life expectancy may increase. How much? Read our article "How long will people live at the end of the 21st century?".