The Longest-Living Animals and How Scientists Know Their Ages
Counting shell rings, reading carbon in a shark's eye and dating coral skeletons: how researchers put ages on animals that outlive any scientist.
The oldest individual animal with a precisely counted age is an ocean quahog clam nicknamed Ming, which was 507 years old when collected off Iceland, according to Bangor University scientists who counted its shell’s growth bands. Greenland sharks are the longest-lived vertebrates known, with one estimated at 392 years, plus or minus 120, in a 2016 study in Science. Some deep-sea black coral colonies have been dated to more than 4,000 years.
Each of these ages comes from a different method, and their precision varies a great deal.
Which animals live the longest?
The table lists record or near-record ages from published research and official sources. Single-animal ages and colony ages are not the same thing, so the two are kept apart.
| Animal | Oldest age reported | How it was measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black coral (Leiopathes), colony | 4,265 years | Radiocarbon dating of the skeleton | PNAS, 2009 |
| Gold coral (Gerardia), colony | 2,742 years | Radiocarbon dating of the skeleton | PNAS, 2009 |
| Ocean quahog clam | 507 years | Counting annual growth bands in the shell | Bangor University |
| Greenland shark | 392 years (±120) | Radiocarbon in the eye lens | Science, 2016 |
| Bowhead whale | Over 200 years | Old harpoon tips, newer age-estimation methods | NOAA Fisheries |
| Aldabra giant tortoise | Over 100, up to about 150 years | Records of known individuals | Smithsonian’s National Zoo |
How do scientists know a Greenland shark’s age?
They date the core of its eye lens. Greenland sharks have no hard bony parts that lay down yearly rings, so a team led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen turned to the lens nucleus, which forms before birth and does not change afterward.
The team measured radiocarbon in the lenses of 28 female sharks. Atomic bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s left a spike of carbon-14 in the oceans, which marked the youngest sharks clearly and helped calibrate the rest. In the 2016 study in Science, the largest shark, 502 cm (about 16.5 feet) long, came out at 392 years, plus or minus 120. The authors estimated a lifespan of at least 272 years and sexual maturity at about 156 years of age, plus or minus 22.
That wide error bar matters. The real age of that shark could be anywhere from under 300 to over 500 years, which is why careful sources give the range rather than one number.
How do you age a clam?
Like a tree, an ocean quahog adds a growth band to its shell every year, so its age can be counted. Bangor University scientists studied a clam dredged off northern Iceland. It was first counted at 405 years, and further work raised it to 507, as the university later described.
The bands also hold a record of ocean conditions year by year, which is why researchers study these shells.
How old can bowhead whales get?
Bowhead whales can live more than 200 years, according to NOAA Fisheries. Two lines of evidence point there. Stone harpoon tips have been recovered in whales caught in modern times, which showed they live well over 100 years. NOAA Fisheries notes that newer techniques allow more precise age estimates, and studies suggest some bowheads live past 200.
The lifespan is still listed as unknown, so a precise record age is not settled. Bowheads spend their whole lives in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters.
Do tortoises really live past 150?
Giant tortoises can pass 100 years, but proving extreme ages is hard. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo says Aldabra tortoises can reach more than 100 years, with ages up to about 150 reported, and notes that tortoise ages are hard to prove because the animals outlived the scientists studying them and proper records were not kept.
Most famous tortoise ages come from historical records of when an animal arrived somewhere, not from a lab measurement. That makes them estimates, sometimes with gaps of decades.
What about corals and sponges?
Colonial animals can live far longer than any single shark or clam. A coral colony grows by adding new polyps, so the colony can persist for millennia even though individual polyps are short-lived. A 2009 study in PNAS radiocarbon-dated deep-sea corals collected off Hawaiʻi and found a gold coral colony 2,742 years old and a black coral colony 4,265 years old.
Why do these animals live so long?
The record holders share a few traits: they live in cold water or grow slowly, mature late and face few predators as adults. The Greenland shark, by the 2016 estimate, does not mature until about 156. Researchers study these species to understand how cells and tissues hold up over centuries, but that work is at an early stage.
Radiocarbon and other clocks also date fossils and ancient objects; see how fossils are dated. For a sense of how many species have never been studied at all, see how many species exist.
Bottom line
The oldest individual animal with a counted age is Ming, a 507-year-old ocean quahog. The Greenland shark holds the vertebrate record, with one shark estimated at 392 years plus or minus 120. Bowhead whales can pass 200 years, giant tortoises 100, and deep-sea coral colonies have been dated beyond 4,000 years. The methods range from counting rings to radiocarbon, and the error bars differ widely.
FAQ
What is the oldest animal ever found?
Among single animals with a precisely counted age, the record is Ming, an ocean quahog clam aged 507 years. Coral colonies are older, with one black coral dated to 4,265 years.
Is the Greenland shark really 400 years old?
The oldest shark in the 2016 study was estimated at 392 years with an uncertainty of 120 years either way. The authors gave at least 272 years as a minimum lifespan for the species.
What is the longest-living mammal?
The bowhead whale. NOAA Fisheries says evidence suggests bowheads can live more than 200 years.
