These Are The Planet's Longest-Living Animals [Infographic]

Human life expectancy varies significantly across the world, ranging from just 45years in Swaziland to 82 years in Switzerland. How does that compare to the planets longest-living animals? TheGalpagos tortoiseiswell known for its exceptionally long lifespan and some animals have reached the grand old age of 177. Harriet, a tortoise reputed to have been collected by Charles Darwin, died in 2006 aged 175. Another tortoise named Adwaita, who also died in 2006, may well have been 250 years old at the time of his death.

Aldabra giant tortoises from Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles also live long lives, but like their elderlycousinsin the GalpagosIslands, their exact ages are difficult to record as they tend to outlive their human observers. Discovery News put an interesting ranking of the planets longest-living animals together and you can find the top 10 listed in the infographic below.

UNSPECIFIED OCTOBER 28: Galapagos giant tortoise (Testudo elephantopus) on lawn (Photo by DEA / F. GALARDI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

The prize for the oldest animal in the world goes to the Ocean Quahog, a bivalve mollusc living on the seabed of the North Atlantic Ocean. They show amazing longevity, living approximately 400 years. One example, named Ming the clam, had a reported age of 507 years, which would make it the longest living non-colonial metazoan species with an authenticated lifespan ever discovered. The Bowhead Whale and Rougheye Rockfish also live extremely long lives about 211 and 205 years respectively!

*Click below to enlarge (charted byStatista)

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These Are The Planet's Longest-Living Animals [Infographic]