Ask Tappity: Science Questions for Kids > What’s the Oldest Living Thing On Earth?
What’s the Oldest Living Thing On Earth?
Is it your pet turtle? Your grandma? The tree out back? Nope! The oldest living thing is something you’d never expect. Watch this video to find out, or read our explanation below!
The Oldest Living Thing is an Endolith
The oldest living thing ever discovered is a kind of microorganism called an endolith. An endolith is a type of microorganism that lives squished inside rocks. Scientists discovered endoliths living inside of rocks found over a mile beneath the ocean floor that were MILLIONS of years old.
An 80,000 Year Old Tree Named Pando
Ok, but what about living things we can see? Well, that’s this tree named Pando. Except, Pando isn’t really just this one tree. It’s all of these trees, and more. See, all of these trees are actually one giant organism, connected by their roots. Pando is one of the largest organisms on the planet, and scientists estimate that it could be 80,000 years old.
The Oldest Living Land Animal is a Tortoise Named Jonathan!
Jonathan the Giant Tortoise was born in 1832, making him 190 years old! But sea animals can grow even older. Scientists have found a Greenland shark that they believe is 392 years old.
Animal Facts for Kids
Got animal questions? We’ve got animal answers!
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The oldest animal ever found was a clam named Ming. Ming has since passed away, but scientists believed Ming was 507 years old!
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Jeanne Calment, a French woman born in 1875, lived to be 122 years old, the oldest any human has ever been recorded living.
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The oldest dog ever reliably recorded was an Australian cattle-dog named Bluey who lived to be 29 years and 5 months.
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The oldest cat ever recorded was a cat named Creme Puff who lived to be 38 years and 3 days old.
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There is a species of jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, which has the ability to revert to an earlier stage of life when subjected to intense stress, making it what scientists call biologically immortal. Theoretically, it could avoid ever dying due to old age by continually turning back into its younger form. In practice, these jellyfish usually die due to other causes, and turning back into a younger version only happens in certain situations.
More Answers to Animal Questions from Kids
Why do cats meow? What’s the world’s smallest animal? The Tappity Zoology library has interactive lessons with answers to those questions and more!
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