The Top 5 Animals with the Longest Lifespan

What you'll discover in this report:

Transdifferentiation, The Coolest Thing You've Never Heard Of

Technically the immortal jellyfish is quite probably the longest living creature because it can potentially live forever. According a recent study the immortal jellyfish (scientific name: Turritopsis dohrnii) transforms itself from an adult back into a baby through a process known as "transdifferentiation", in which one type of cell transforms into another. The jellyfish can repeat this process over and over again into infinity (though likely only as an emergency measure). When starvation, physical damage, or other crises arise, instead of certain death, Turritopsis transforms all of its existing cells into a younger state.

The Clam That Outlived Shakespeare

A Quahog (clam) collected in 2006 by Paul Butler and James Scourse during a data collection cruise in Icelandic coastal waters in 2006 is reported to be more than 400 years old. To put this in perspective, this clam lived in the time of Shakespeare.

The Giant Tortoise: Slow but Hardy

The Giant Tortoise moves at an approximate rate of 0.16 miles per hour, can keep growing for 30 to 40 years, and can reach lengths of more than 1.2 meters and weights of 350 kilograms (771 lbs). It is possible that Giant Tortoises which are alive today were actually hatching during Darwin's visit to the Galapagos islands. The Giant Tortoise is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The Whale that's Not Really a Whale

Although its called a "whale" a killer whale is actually a member of the dolphin family and is the largest type of "dolphin". The dorsal fins of male killer whales are the tallest of any cetacean in the world, growing up to 1.8 m (6 ft). The mortality rate of killer whale calves is quite high - over 40% of resident calves die in their first six months. Male killer whales can reach lengths up to 8.2 meters (27 feet) and can weigh up to 5,443 kilograms (12,000 lbs). A killer whale's brain is 5 times larger than a humans. In captivity they can live up to 45 years. In the wild however, Killer Whales can live up to 100 years old.

The Sea Anemone: Not As Boring as You Think

There are more than 1,000 sea anemone species found throughout the world's oceans at various depths, although the largest and most varied occur in coastal tropical waters. They run the full spectrum of colors and can be as small as half an inch (1.25 centimeters) or as large as 6 feet (1.8 meters) across. Sea anemones can live between 60 to 80 years. They can also clone themselves which means that like our friend the immortal jellyfish, they have the potential to live forever.