There are some really old animals around us. We mean creatures that have been alive for hundreds or even thousands of years. Although it is usually difficult to estimate the ages of wild animals, scientists have devised methods of calculating some of them. In fact, we are very sure of the ages of some critters that have lived around us, either in private ownership or in zoos.
Charlie the Parrot
Charlie is a macaw parrot born in 1899, making him 119 years old as of 2018. He is owned by Peter Oram, who purchased the bird for his pet shop in 1965. Oram later took Charlie home because the bird was fond of swearing and chanting anti-Nazi slurs. Charlie is said to have learned the anti-Nazi slurs in the home of wartime British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who reportedly bought him in 1937.
Churchill’s daughter denied her father’s ownership of the macaw.
She confirmed that her father had a parrot in the 1930s, but it was an African grey parrot and not a macaw. Family is only denying Winston Churchill’s ownership of Charlie because the bird’s behavior doesn’t promote them in a positive light.
Minivan-Sized Sea Sponge
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At 3.7 meters (12 ft) wide and 2.1 meters (7 ft) long, a sea sponge the size of a minivan is the largest ever recorded. It was discovered 2,100 meters (7,000 ft) underwater between Hawaii and Midway Atoll. Researchers could not determine its exact age, but its extraordinary size means that it could be thousands of years old. Age is not the only mystery surrounding the minivan-sized sea sponge. Researchers couldn’t determine its genus, either.
George the Lobster
At 140 years old in 2009, George held the title of the oldest lobster ever found. He was caught off Newfoundland, Canada, and was sold to City Crab and Seafood restaurant in New York City. There, he sat in a tank like a mascot as kids had their pictures taken with him. Then George was spotted by two diners who called PETA.
PETA requested that George be returned to the sea. The restaurant agreed, and George was back in the Atlantic Ocean 10 days after he was caught. PETA and the restaurant estimated George’s age from his weight.
Someone even offered $1,000 to have him cooked for Father’s Day.
Unnamed Greenland Shark
An unnamed female Greenland shark holds the title of the world’s oldest vertebrate. She is believed to have been born between 1501 and 1744, so she is probably between 274 and 517 years old as of 2018. Even her lowest possible age of 274 makes her the oldest-known living vertebrate. Before she was discovered, the title of the oldest vertebrate alive was held by a 211-year-old bowhead whale. Greenland sharks grow one centimeter (0.4 in) per year, reach sexual maturity at 150 years old, and could reach 5 meters (16 ft) when fully grown.
Muja the Alligator
The oldest American alligator in captivity is in a Serbian zoo. His name is Muja, and he is believed to be at least 80 years old. He arrived at Belgrade Zoo from Germany as an adult in 1937, two years before World War II. Muja has been in good health for most of his life. However, in 2012, his right front foot was amputated after he developed gangrene. Before Muja, the world’s oldest alligator was Cabulitis, which died in Riga Zoo in Latvia in 2007 at age 75.
Jonathan the Tortoise
Jonathan is estimated to have been born in 1832. If this is so, then he’s 186 years old as of 2018. His vet, Joe Hollins, believes that Jonathan is no younger than 160 years old. The average life expectancy of a tortoise is 150 years.
Jonathan lives on the island of St. Helena, which is part of a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. He was brought to the island in 1882, and there is even a picture of him taken in 1902.
He lives at Plantation House, the official residence of the governor of St. Helena, with five other tortoises.
An Unnamed Brandt’s Myotis (Bat)
An unnamed 41-year-old male Brandt’s myotis from Siberia holds the record of the oldest bat alive. It is also the smallest mammal alive. More interesting is the fact that the bat reached this age in the wild. The age of the unnamed bat became known after it was captured to be tagged in 2005. It was found wearing an earlier band that had been attached when the animal was first captured in 1964.Scientists believe that food supply and hibernation play a huge role in the higher-than-usual life expectancy of Brandt’s myotis.
Wisdom the Albatross
Sixty-seven-year-old Wisdom is the world’s oldest wild bird. She is a Laysan albatross, a type of bird which has an average life span of about 50 years. we only learned her age after she was captured to be tagged in 2002. She was found with an earlier tag from 1956.Wisdom was estimated to be six years old in 1956.More interesting is the fact that she lays an egg every year and has hatched 39 in her lifetime. Not all albatrosses lay eggs every year.
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