Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
What animal has the longest life span?
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Ocean senior citizen A chart compares the maximum life spans of various animals, using icons and color coding for mammals, birds, other vertebrates, and invertebrates. Lifespans range from the mayfly at less than a year to the Greenland shark at 500 years, with humans, elephants, whales, birds, and reptiles shown at various points along the timeline. Measurement intervals are marked in years, with a key at the bottom explaining the color categories.
Quick Facts
Related Topics:
Animal
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Ocean senior citizen
Ocean senior citizen The Greenland shark, which may live to be more than 500 years old, holds the record for the longest-lived vertebrate animal.

What animal has the longest life span?

Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is the longest-lived vertebrate animal known to science. Radiocarbon dating of proteins in the shark’s eye-lens nuclei suggests that some individuals may be more than 500 years old. Primarily inhabiting the frigid and deep waters of the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic, the species has developed an exceptionally slow growth rate and metabolism, adaptations that are believed to underlie its remarkable longevity.

A chart compares the maximum life spans of various animals, using icons and color coding for mammals, birds, other vertebrates, and invertebrates. Lifespans range from the mayfly at less than a year to the Greenland shark at 500 years, with humans, elephants, whales, birds, and reptiles shown at various points along the timeline. Measurement intervals are marked in years, with a key at the bottom explaining the color categories.
How long do animals live?This graphic shows the maximum life spans of selected animal species.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica