How Long The Oldest Members Of 16 Species Actually Lived

Average Life Span: About 40 years
About: Hanako was the oldest-known koi fish at 226 years old! She had a beautiful scarlet-orange coloring, and she was born way back in 1751. Her birth occurred during monsoon season, when thousands of young koi fish were present. It's unclear where she spent the start of her life, but she passed in 1977 under the care of Dr. Komei Koshihara, who made a radio address to Japan in 1966, describing the fish and its unusual lifespan:

There did not exist in this world any such country as the United States of America yet at the time when this carp was born. It was 25 years later that America made public the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is very interesting to think that during the long years that this carp has continued to live, a country by the name of the United States of America came into existence and has built up her present culture of high standard. To speak in Japanese fashion, it was born in the 1st year of Horeki, that is, in the middle of the Tokugawa Era.

The fish spent most of her life in a pond at the bottom of Mt. Ontake in Japan. The area was carefully constructed to ensure that Hanako stayed safe and secure for her whole life. Her owner loved her very much and even considered her a part of the family. The fish that lived with Hanako also lived for a long time, so the clean water in the pond was likely a factor. 

The age of a koi fish can be calculated similarly to that of a tree. You can count the rings on their scales. This can easily be done by taking a sample of the fish's scales, which causes no harm to the fish. That's how they confirmed that Hanako was so old. Scientists planned to mimic Hanako's long-living gene cells to help future koi thrive, but sadly, she passed before that was completed.

It should be noted that some outlets, such as Snopes, are skeptical of the age claims around Hanako. Snopes neither confirms nor denies the story.

Average Life Span: About 100 years
About: Jonathan the tortoise (pictured) was born in 1832, and he's still going strong today! In fact, Guinness World Records named him the oldest-known land animal alive today. He's a Seychelles giant tortoise, which is a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise. All tortoises are known for living a ridiculously long time, but Jonathan's legacy puts most other senior tortoises to shame.

As of 2021, Jonathan the tortoise is estimated to be about 189 years old. During his lifetime, Jonathan has lived through many major events, including the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 and the American Civil War starting in 1861.

For most of his life, Jonathan has lived on Saint Helena Island. He wanders around the land of the governor of St. Helena and is considered a major tourist attraction on the island. While his exact birth date is unknown, it's believed that he was brought to the island in 1882, when he was about 50 years old. But only Jonathan knows his official age, and unfortunately he can't share it with us.

Average Life Span: 30-35 years
About: Charlie the blue-and-yellow macaw is famous because she was once Winston Churchill's companion. While the prime minister of the United Kingdom passed in 1965, his bird greatly outlived him. After Churchill passed, a man named Peter Oram purchased the bird for his pet store, but ended up keeping her because she wouldn't stop swearing at customers. 

This chatty macaw is likely still alive today, reaching over 114 years old! She is now enjoying her retirement years at Heathfield Nuseries in the United Kingdom. Many people fly from other countries just to see this famous bird. But thankfully, Charlie has learned her manners now and limits her conversations to polite phrases like "hello" and "how are you?" 

She has been enjoying her current home since the late 1990s. She lives with a few other rescue birds, one of which is her best friend named Rosie. But unlike Charlie, Rosie has only been on this Earth for five years. Perhaps she'll gain a lot of wisdom from her elderly friend.

Average Life Span: About 60 years
About: Henry the tuatara (pictured) proves that you're never too old to care for children. At age 111, this rare lizard species became a dad. He was the proud father of 11 eggs with another old tuatara, who was about 80 at the time. All the lizards hatched and are thriving. 

Not only is Henry the oldest known tuatara, but he's also the oldest of his species to mate. But he wasn't always capable of this. Henry arrived at the Southland Museum in New Zealand at the ripe age of 70. He grew irritated very easily and would even attack females at first.

But as it turned out, Henry had a cancerous tumor in an incredibly sensitive area. After a delicate surgery, Henry sprung to life and was happy to start a family. Scientists hope he will breed with another one of the female lizards in the future, too. Female tuataras usually only lay eggs every two or three years.

Despite having an average life span of 60 years, Henry is still alive today at over 113 years old. If he's still going strong then it's possible that he still has a long life ahead of him. After all, tuataras are closely related to dinosaurs and have been around for about 200 million years!

Average Life Span: 8-11 years
About: Maggie the Australian Kelpie lived the life that we all wish our dogs could have. She spent 30 years living on a dairy farm in Australia, where she was happy with no major health concerns. But then over the course of two days, her health deteriorated and she passed peacefully in her sleep.

The only problem is that Maggie can't officially claim the title of world's oldest dog because her humans had no paperwork to prove her age. So, while she didn't get any official reward, she got to live a long, happy life, and that's more than enough to suffice.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest dog ever was an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. Coincidentally, he also lived on a farm in Australia just like Maggie. Perhaps that's a factor for their long lives. Bluey lived from 1910 to 1939, so he was 29 years and five months old. We're sure every dog parent wishes their canine companions could live that long!

Average Life Span: About 200 years
About: Yes, you read that right. Ming the clam was 507 years old, making it the oldest non-colonial animal in the world! The term "non-colonial" is necessary because creatures like coral can live as long as 4,000 years.

This ocean quahog was found on the coast of Iceland in 2006, but the age of a clam can be determined by the rings on the shell, similar to the rings on a tree stump.

When scientists first counted Ming's rings, they revealed that the clam's age was 405, which still broke the record. But in 2013, researchers found more precise techniques for counting the rings, so they adjusted Ming's age to make it more accurate at 507 years old.

Unfortunately, Ming never got to live to its full potential. When researchers tried to discover Ming's real age, they forced the clam open, which lead to its sudden demise. Who knows how long Ming could've lived if the scientists hadn't influenced the creature's passing.