Human beings seem to be at the top of the food chain in the animal kingdom, but some creatures outlast humans in terms of longevity. Animals living on the land, in the air, and in water can last for many decades or even centuries.
Most animals people come into contact with on a daily basis, such as dogs and cats, will only live a fraction of their owners’ lives. But under the right circumstances, many animals worldwide can live for many decades or even centuries.
In order to find the 50 longest living animals in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data in the Human Ageing Genomic Resources database collection — specifically, the AnAge animal longevity database. These are the longest-living animals in the world.
Click here to see the 50 longest living animals in the world.
Click here to read our detailed findings and methodology.
Source: NOAA / Wikimedia Commons
50. Gray whale
> Oldest recorded: 77 years
> Average adult weight: 62,832 Lbs.
> Habitat: Pacific Ocean
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Source: Pedro Szekely / Wikimedia Commons
49. Andean condor
> Oldest recorded: 79 years
> Average adult weight: 23 Lbs.
> Habitat: South America
Source: Jeanne Luce / Wikimedia Commons
48. China rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 79 years
> Average adult weight: 2.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Source: Vassil / Wikimedia Commons
47. Australian lungfish
> Oldest recorded: 80 years
> Average adult weight: 88.2 Lbs.
> Habitat: Australia
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Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
46. Silvergray rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 82 years
> Average adult weight: 5.7 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northeastern Pacific Ocean
Source: Aviceda / Wikimedia Commons
45. Pink cockatoo
> Oldest recorded: 83 years
> Average adult weight: 0.9 Lbs.
> Habitat: Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, and the Philippines
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
44. Baird’s beaked whale
> Oldest recorded: 84 years
> Average adult weight: 25,089 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Pacific Ocean
Source: NOAA / Wikimedia Commons
43. Splitnose rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 84 years
> Average adult weight: 1.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northeastern Pacific Ocean
Source: Phoebe / Wikimedia Commons
42. Canary rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 84 years
> Average adult weight: 5.5 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
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Source: NOAA
41. Rosethorn rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 87 years
> Average adult weight: 2.7 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Source: David Perez (DPC) / Wikimedia Commons
40. European eel
> Oldest recorded: 88 years
> Average adult weight: 8.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: Atlantic Ocean
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Source: Mike Baird / Wikimedia Commons
39. Killer whale
> Oldest recorded: 90 years
> Average adult weight: 8,791 Lbs.
> Habitat: Oceans Worldwide
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Source: Bernard Spragg / Flickr
38. Tuatara
> Oldest recorded: 90 years
> Average adult weight: 1.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: New Zealand
Source: shankar s. / Flickr
37. Atlantic halibut
> Oldest recorded: 90 years
> Average adult weight: 388 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
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Source: Ken Curtis / Wikimedia Commons
36. Quillback rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 90 years
> Average adult weight: 4.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Source: NOAA / Wikimedia Commons
35. Humpback whale
> Oldest recorded: 95 years
> Average adult weight: 66,139 Lbs.
> Habitat: Oceans Worldwide
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Source: United States Fish and Wildlife Service / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
34. Yellowmouth rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 99 years
> Average adult weight: 3.2 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
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Source: Derek Keats / Wikimedia Commons
33. American lobster
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 4.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: Western Atlantic Ocean
Source: shankar s. / Flickr
32. Yangtze sturgeon
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 772 Lbs.
> Habitat: China, Korea
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Source: Alexander Francis Lydon
31. European sturgeon
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 485 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Atlantic Ocean
Source: NOAA / Wikimedia Commons
30. Pacific ocean perch
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 1.7 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Pacific Ocean
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Source: United Fisheries
29. Black oreo
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 1.8 Lbs.
> Habitat: Southwestern Pacific Ocean
Source: Australian National Fish Collection
28. Spiky oreo
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 2.4 Lbs.
> Habitat: Southeastern Atlantic
Source: Dr Tony Ayling / Wikimedia Commons
27. Smooth oreo
> Oldest recorded: 100 years
> Average adult weight: 6.1 Lbs.
> Habitat: Southwestern Pacific Ocean
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Source: Javier Ábalos Alvarez / Wikimedia Commons
26. Olm
> Oldest recorded: 102 years
> Average adult weight: 0.04 Lbs.
> Habitat: Adriatic Sea
Source: nostri-imago / Flickr
25. White sturgeon
> Oldest recorded: 104 years
> Average adult weight: 989 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific
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Source: Biodiversity Heritage Library / Flickr
24. Telescope cardinal
> Oldest recorded: 104 years
> Average adult weight: Unknown
> Habitat: North Atlantic Ocean
Source: NOAA
23. Redbanded rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 106 years
> Average adult weight: 5.4 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Pacific
Source: Don Ramey Logan / Wikimedia Commons
22. Blue whale
> Oldest recorded: 110 years
> Average adult weight: 299,828 Lbs.
> Habitat: Oceans Worldwide
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Source: NOAA / Wikimedia Commons
21. Fin whale
> Oldest recorded: 114 years
> Average adult weight: 154,323 Lbs.
> Habitat: Oceans Worldwide
Source: NOAA / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
20. Sablefish
> Oldest recorded: 114 years
> Average adult weight: 69 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Pacific Ocean
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Source: NOAA / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
19. Shortspine thornyhead
> Oldest recorded: 115 years
> Average adult weight: 2.8 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Atlantic Ocean
Source: NOAA / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
18. Tiger rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 116 years
> Average adult weight: 2.7 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Source: Daniel Döhne / Wikimedia Commons
17. Beluga sturgeon
> Oldest recorded: 118 years
> Average adult weight: 2,512 Lbs.
> Habitat: Black Sea, Caspian Sea
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
16. Rasphead rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 118 years
> Average adult weight: 22 Lbs.
> Habitat: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Source: Dudva / Wikimedia Commons
15. European pond turtle
> Oldest recorded: 120 years
> Average adult weight: 2.2 Lbs.
> Habitat: Germany, Austria
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Source: Thinkstock
14. Human
> Oldest recorded: 122 years
> Average adult weight: 137 Lbs.
> Habitat: Worldwide
Source: Zeynel Cebeci / Wikimedia Commons
13. Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise
> Oldest recorded: 127 years
> Average adult weight: 1.5 Lbs.
> Habitat: Mediterranean Region
Source: Stephen Friedt / Wikimedia Commons
12. Eastern box turtle
> Oldest recorded: 138 years
> Average adult weight: 1.5 Lbs.
> Habitat: Southeastern U.S.
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Source: Dr Tony Ayling / Wikimedia Commons
11. Warty oreo
> Oldest recorded: 140 years
> Average adult weight: 2.4 Lbs.
> Habitat: Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere
Source: NOAA
10. Orange roughy
> Oldest recorded: 149 years
> Average adult weight: 8.5 Lbs.
> Habitat: Western Atlantic Ocean
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Source: Fungus Guy / Wikimedia Commons
9. Lake sturgeon
> Oldest recorded: 152 years
> Average adult weight: 154 Lbs.
> Habitat: U.S. rivers and lakes
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Source: Ltshears / Wikimedia Commons
8. Aldabra tortoise
> Oldest recorded: 152 years
> Average adult weight: 450 Lbs.
> Habitat: Aldabra Island atoll
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
7. Shortraker rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 157 years
> Average adult weight: 20 Lbs.
> Habitat: North Pacific Ocean
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Source: Matthew Field / Wikimedia Commons
6. Galapagos tortoise
> Oldest recorded: 177 years
> Average adult weight: 500 Lbs.
> Habitat: Galapagos Islands
Source: 4kodiak / Getty Images
5. Red sea urchin
> Oldest recorded: 200 years
> Average adult weight: 1.0 Lbs.
> Habitat: Pacific Ocean
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Source: NOAA
4. Rougheye rockfish
> Oldest recorded: 205 years
> Average adult weight: 1.1 Lbs.
> Habitat: Pacific Ocean
Source: Courtesy of Paul Nicklen/National Geographic Creative
3. Bowhead whale
> Oldest recorded: 211 years
> Average adult weight: 220,462 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Atlantic Ocean
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
2. Greenland shark
> Oldest recorded: 392 years
> Average adult weight: 1,874 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Atlantic Ocean
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Source: S. Rae / Wikimedia Commons
1. Ocean quahog clam
> Oldest recorded: 507 years
> Average adult weight: 0.5 Lbs.
> Habitat: Northern Atlantic Ocean
Detailed Findings & Methodology
There doesn’t seem to be one particular type of animal that dominates the list of the longest living animals. There are 11 different classes, including reptiles, mammals, fish, and birds — and size doesn’t appear to be a factor on how long animals live. The largest animal on Earth, the blue whale, can live to be up to 110 years. Similarly, weighing less than an ounce, the blind cave salamanders known as olms can also live as long as 102 years.
It’s important to remember that the age figures on this list are the maximum recorded lifespan, which don’t always come close to reflecting the average lifespan of that species. For instance, the oldest human ever recorded lived to be 122 years old. But the average human lifespan is several decades lower. Similarly, the European Pond Turtle typically lives to be 40 to 60 years old. The oldest European Pond Turtle on record lived to be 120.
There are more creatures that live underwater than terrestrial ones among the longest-living animals. About three-fourths of the 50 species on the list are either fish or mammals like whales that live in the ocean. That’s all the more significant considering that an estimated 80% of Earth’s species live on land, compared with just 15% that live in the ocean, and 5% in freshwater.
Though AnAge is a thoroughly researched and curated database, there’s no way to know exactly which of the oldest living animals were never recorded or found by humans before they died. There could always be an outlier from some common animal species that has lived for more than a century. It’s also possible there are entirely undiscovered species that would also make the list — if we knew of their existence. Scientists haven’t even been able to settle on a solid range of how many species there are on Earth. Some have suggested the total number is somewhere around 8.7 million, whereas other estimates go as high as 1 trillion if you include microbes.
To identify the longest living animals in the world, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed animal aging and longevity data from AnAge, a curated database on animal history, genomes, and longevity records. The longest-living animals were identified by examining their maximum longevity, supplemented by our analysis of specimen, kingdom, and genus. Only organisms from the kingdom Animalia were included. Animals from the phylum Porifera, such as sponges, were also excluded. Only animals considered to have an acceptable data quality or higher by AnAge were included.
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