| Views |
9744  |
|
Red sea urchin
The red sea urchin or Strongylocentrotus franciscanus is found only in the
Pacific Ocean, primarily along the West Coast of North America.
It lives in
shallow, sometimes rocky, waters from the low-tide line down to to 90 meters,
but they stay out of extremely wavy areas. They crawl along the ocean floor
using their spines as stilts. If you discover one, remember to respect your
elders — some specimens are more than 200 years old.
Turtles
Tortoises are considered the longest living vertebrates on Earth. One of their
oldest known representatives was Harriet, a Galápagos tortoise that died of
heart failure at the age of 175 years in June 2006 at a zoo owned by the late
Steve Irwin. Harriet was considered the last living representative of Darwin’s
epic voyage on the HMS Beagle. An Aldabra giant tortoise named Adwaita died at
the rumored age of 250 in March 2006.
Geoducks
First on the list are these large saltwater clams that are native to the Puget
Sound and have been known to live for at least 160 years. They are characterized
by their long ‘necks’, or siphons, which can grow to over 1 meter long.
Tuataras
The word “dinosaur” is commonly used to describe an old person, but when it
refers to a tuataras, the term is as literal as it is metaphorical. The two
species of tuatara alive today are the only surviving members of an order which
flourished about 200 million years ago — they are living dinosaurs. They are
also among the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth, with some individuals living
for anywhere between 100 and 200 years.
Lamellibrachia tube worms
These colorful deep sea creatures are tube worms (L. luymesi) that live along
hydrocarbon vents on the ocean floor. They have been known to live 170 years,
but many scientists believe there may be some that have lived for more than 250
years.
Bowhead whales
Also known as the Arctic whale, the bowhead is by far the longest living mammal
on Earth. Some bowhead whales have been found with the tips of ivory spears
still lodged in their flesh from failed attempts by whalers 200 years ago. The
oldest known bowhead whale was at least 211 years old.
Koi
Koi are an ornamental, domesticated variety of the common carp. The are common
in artificial rock pools and decorative ponds. Amazingly, some varieties are
capable of living more than 200 years. The oldest known koi was Hanako, a fish
that died at the age of 226 on July 7, 1977.
Ocean quahog
The ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) is a species of clam that is exploited
commercially.Researchers have interpreted the dark concentric rings or bands on
the shell as annual marks, much like a tree has rings. Some collected specimens
have been calculated to be more than 400 years old
Antarctic sponge
Perhaps due to the extremely low temperatures of the Antarctic Ocean, this
immobile creature has an extremely slow growth rate. Some estimate the oldest
known specimens are 1,550 years old.
Turritopsis Nutricula Jellyfish
This species of jellyfish might be the only animal in the world to have truly
discovered the fountain of youth. Since it is capable of cycling from a mature
adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural
limit to its life span. Because they are able to bypass death, the number of
individuals is spiking. ”We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion,”says Dr.
Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute.
Users' Comments (1) 
|
|
|
