Longest-Living Animals
Number one is the greenland shark at an estimated 250–500 years, followed by the bowhead whale at 100–200+ years and the ocean quahog at commonly 100–200 years (record 507).
| # | Animal | Lifespan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenland Shark Fish |
an estimated 250–500 years | estimated by radiocarbon dating of eye lenses; the oldest shark studied was 392 ± 120 years, so uncertainty is large |
| 2 | Bowhead Whale Mammal |
100–200+ years | estimated; the oldest individual studied was aged at about 211 years |
| 3 | Ocean Quahog Invertebrate |
commonly 100–200 years (record 507) | many adults in cold-water populations; the record is 507 years |
| 4 | Galápagos Tortoise Reptile |
100–150 years (estimated) | estimated in the wild; among the longest-lived land vertebrates |
| 5 | Whale Shark Fish |
an estimated 80–130 years | estimated from growth models; the oldest age verified directly is about 50 years |
| 6 | Beluga Sturgeon Fish |
50–100 years | potential lifespan; the record is about 118 years, but few survive that long today because of fishing |
| 7 | Giant Clam Invertebrate |
up to 100 years or more | estimated in the wild; some individuals may live longer |
| 8 | Japanese Spider Crab Invertebrate |
possibly 50–100 years (unverified) | widely cited estimate that has not been confirmed by aging studies |
| 9 | Tuatara Reptile |
60–100 years | in the wild; some individuals are thought to exceed 100 |
| 10 | Blue Whale Mammal |
80–90 years | estimated from earplug layers |
| 11 | Humpback Whale Mammal |
50–90 years (estimates vary) | estimates vary: at least 45–50 years is well supported, and NOAA gives 80–90 |
| 12 | American Alligator Reptile |
60–80 years | in human care |
| 13 | Nile Crocodile Reptile |
50–80 years | in human care |
| 14 | Andean Condor Bird |
70 years or more | in human care; the record is a male that died in 2010 at about 79 |
| 15 | Scarlet Macaw Bird |
50–75 years | in human care; ages near the top of this range are reported but rarely well documented |
| 16 | African Elephant Mammal |
60–70 years | in the wild, for animals that escape poaching and drought |
| 17 | African Spurred Tortoise Reptile |
50–70 years (estimated) | estimated; wild lifespans are poorly documented |
| 18 | Great White Shark Fish |
an estimated 40–70 years | estimated from radiocarbon-dated vertebrae; the oldest shark aged was about 73 |
| 19 | Green Sea Turtle Reptile |
60–70 years | estimated in the wild; exact ages are hard to measure |
| 20 | Saltwater Crocodile Reptile |
50–70 years (estimated) | estimated in the wild |
| 21 | Sperm Whale Mammal |
60–70 years | estimated from tooth growth layers |
| 22 | African Grey Parrot Bird |
40–60 years | well-cared-for pets and zoo birds |
| 23 | Asian Elephant Mammal |
50–60 years | in the wild; a few individuals reach 70 or more |
| 24 | Bornean Orangutan Mammal |
50–60 years | in human care |
| 25 | Bottlenose Dolphin Mammal |
40–60 years | in the wild; females tend to outlive males |
About this ranking
The longest-lived animals share a few traits: they tend to be large, slow-growing, live in cold or stable environments, and have few predators as adults. Cold, deep water produces the most extreme cases, including a clam and a shark that live for centuries. This ranking uses the upper end of each animal's typical lifespan, in the wild or in human care, whichever is longer; one-off record individuals are mentioned on each animal's page.
How it is ranked: Ranked by the upper end of the typical lifespan range (wild or captive, whichever is greater), converted to years. The list covers the 214 animals in the AnimalStats database, not every species on Earth.
The top five in detail
1. Greenland Shark — an estimated 250–500 years
Greenland sharks are estimated to live at least 250 years and possibly up to 500, the longest of any vertebrate. The figure comes from a 2016 radiocarbon study of eye lenses from 28 sharks; the largest, a 5 m female, was dated to 392 years, give or take 120. The uncertainty is large, so ages quoted as exact are misleading.
2. Bowhead Whale — 100–200+ years
Bowhead whales can live more than 200 years, the longest lifespan of any mammal, and many individuals are thought to pass 100. Ages come from chemical changes in the eye lens, and the oldest whale studied was estimated at about 211 years. Such estimates carry wide margins of error.
3. Ocean Quahog — commonly 100–200 years (record 507)
Ocean quahogs commonly live 100–200 years, and the oldest one ever aged was 507 years old. That record clam, nicknamed Ming, was dredged off Iceland in 2006 and is an extreme outlier rather than a typical lifespan. Even so, clams over a century old are routine in commercial catches, and lifespans are shorter in warmer or brackish waters such as the Baltic.
4. Galápagos Tortoise — 100–150 years (estimated)
Galápagos tortoises commonly live more than 100 years, and wild lifespans of 100–150 years are estimated. The best-known captive animal, Harriet, died at Australia Zoo in 2006 at an estimated age of about 175. A very slow metabolism and late maturity, at around 20–25 years, go with this long life.
5. Whale Shark — an estimated 80–130 years
Whale sharks are estimated to live 80–130 years, but the figure is uncertain. The only direct evidence, a 2020 study using bomb radiocarbon in vertebrae, confirmed an age of about 50 years for one individual; longer estimates come from growth models. They mature late, at perhaps 25–30 years.