This deepwater fish can live to be 104 years old! It’s a smallish fish, growing only to 30 inches, but what it lacks in size it makes up in longevity. And it’s kind of cute. It’s got large buggy eyes, a split dorsal fin, and is decorated with purplish-brown and black iridescent scales.
Feel free to fish the telescope cardinal. In 2012 they were designated globally as “least concern.” However, as bottom dwellers, mercury levels in telescope cardinals have been recorded at well above acceptable levels.
Albatross
Albatross are sea birds that can live 60 years, possibly 100. Most of their lives are spent flying over the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. They can also be found near South America, Australia, South Africa and South America. Albatross, from the Diomedeidae family, are exceptional birds that can fly 50 miles per hour, go years without touching land, and have a wingspan that stretches up to 12 feet in width. Its wingspan is larger than any living bird.
Being the only land creature to live out at sea, albatross caught the imaginations of 17th and 18th century seamen who believed they carried fresh water or else felt, superstitiously, that it was bad luck to kill one. The albatross was immortally branded by Coleridge as a guilt symbol, a burden, “an albatross around one’s neck.” Today, out of the 21 species of albatross, most rank from “threatened” to “endangered.” Three albatross varieties are “critically endangered.” Many conservation groups are working toward saving these magnificent birds.
New Zealand Longfin Eel
The New Zealand Longfin eel is a prehistoric species that has managed to exist for 65 million years. (But will it survive humans?) Though they grow slowly, only 1 to 2 centimeters a year, they are the world’s largest eel and can weigh up to 50 pounds. At that gradual growth rate, it takes the eel 20 to 60 years to reach maturity, but they can live for 100 years! The record age for a New Zealand Longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is 106 years old. The eel is a freshwater species, although it spawns out at sea. It only happens once. They leave their freshwater habitat one time in their lifespan, swim thousands of miles out to sea to Tonga where the female deposits its eggs, all 20 million of them.
Once the male fertilizes, the larvae drift back toward New Zealand. The spawning eels don’t head back. Apparently, the eel puts off spawning for so many years because after laying its eggs it dies. The eels which look like elongated fish have been declining in numbers and are considered an endangered species. A fishing ban is in effect to preserve the ancient Longfin eel. The Maori, an indigenous New Zealand people, have long celebrated the Longfin eel as a good luck charm and as a food source.
Aldabra Tortoise
Aldabra tortoises live a very long time. As one of the world’s longest-living animals, some Aldabra giant tortoises live well into their 200s! Adwaita, an Aldabra tortoise that four British seamen brought back in the 18th century, lived at the Calcutta Zoo until its death, in 2006. This tortoise is thought to have lived 255 years. That means it would’ve hatched in 1750.
Another amazing trait of the Aldabra tortoise is their massive size. Second only to the gigantic Galapagos tortoise, the Aldabra can easily grow to 550 pounds, but average out around 250 pounds. The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is native to the Indian Ocean. They can be found roaming Aldabra Island, one of the Seychelles islands located northeast of Madagascar. This tortoise has a super long neck, like the similar Galapagos tortoise, and loves to graze on leaves. As herbivores, they also enjoy berries, flowers, fruits, and cactus pads. They don’t reach mating age until 30 years, and the female will lay about 25 eggs after mating. Four to eight months later, tiny hatchlings break through their shells.
Red Sea Urchin
This shore dweller lives a quiet life clinging to rocks and coral, waiting for the waves of the sea to bring in its food. It can and does move, very slowly. It’s a small prickly specimen, so, as it will not have time to move out of your way, you’d do best not stepping on it. Its entire body is covered in sharp spines. Luckily, it comes in bright red and orange colors to help you avoid it. The red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) lives in the Pacific Ocean on the shores of Baja California up to Alaska.
A sea urchin can definitely outlive you. It’s one of Earth’s longest-living animals. It’s common for an urchin to live to be 100, but some are 200 years old, and they don’t look a day over 50. They grow very slowly and hardly age. Sea urchins never stop reproducing, it’s like they don’t have an old age period. Also, they can regenerate broken spines and its tiny rows of suction-cup tube feet that help it move and adhere to rocks. Underneath, on its belly, is the sea urchin’s mouth, which scrapes seaweeds and algae from low tide sea surfaces.