What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
With bodies made mostly of stem cells, hydras are basically immortal. These small freshwater creatures can regenerate themselves, so there isn't really a way to determine how old they are.
Sources: (BBC) (National Geographic) (Grunge) (USDA) (Scientific American) (Discover Magazine) (Ars Technica) (The New York Times)
An area know as the South Pacific Gyre (off the west coast of South America) has a lack of currents, meaning that it's a pretty desolate place. Except some of the oldest microbes found on our planet live there!
These are the oldest microbes ever discovered, as old as 830 million years. They were found in a piece of Australian halite, or rock salt. Though, oddly enough, scientist haven't quite figured out if the microbes are actually alive.
These microbes are estimated to be around 100 million years old. The fact that these organisms are alive still puzzles scientists today.
A 2022 geology study, however, suggests that there are good reasons to believe that the microbes are indeed alive. The researchers point out that "microorganisms from saline depositional environments can remain well preserved in halite for hundreds of millions of years."
In addition to being the oldest plant, this seagrass may even well be the oldest continuously living thing on Earth.
There is a patch of seagrass in the Mediterranean that is really, really old. It's believed to have an estimated age of between 80,000 and 200,000 years.
The pithovirus was also found frozen in Siberian permafrost. It's the largest giant virus ever discovered to date.
These sponges' skeletons are made from biogenic silica, which is a bit like saying that their bones are made of glass. This makes calculating their precise age somewhat difficult. Certain fossils point towards some sponges having lived about 890 million years ago!
In 2014, researchers successfully resurrected a 30,000 year-old pithovirus that had been trapped in ice. Don't worry though: these can only infect single-celled microbes.
Scientists found some specimens trapped in Siberian permafrost. It's estimated that they had been there for 24,000 years!
These can be found in parts of North America, particularly in Utah. Being clonal tress, all new trunks are copies of the original, carrying identical DNA.
Pando, also known as the Trembling Giant, is essentially a forest of quaking aspen (which are also known by many other names). Pando is thought to be 80,00 years old.
The glass sponge was first found in the depths of the East China Sea in 2012. It is estimated to be around 11,000 years old. But these may well be as old as 14,000 years.
The Armillaria solidipes, colloquially called the "Humongous fungus," can be found in Oregon's Blue Mountains.
In 2001, scientists discovered that these enormous fungi were between 2,000 and 8,500 years old.
Bristlecone pines can be found in the White Mountains of Inyo County in California. They are exceptionally resilient and can live for centuries.
It's not easy to determine the age of a shark by their skeletons because they're made of cartilage and not bone. Still, the oldest shark ever found is estimated to have lived for about 512 years.
You will find these gorgeous deep-water corals off the coast of Hawaii. These, together with gold coral, are the longest-living coral in the area.
This plant can be found in the Namib desert, in Southern Africa. These can live anywhere from around 400 to 1,500 years.
One of these specimens, known as Methuselah, is over 4,850 years old and is one of the oldest trees in the world.
In 2009, marine biologists discovered that a particular black coral was actually 4,270 years old.
They live isolated in the arid desert, and are pretty much living fossils. They use their long taproots to collect water from the soil.
Bowhead whales live in the cold waters of the Arctic. The oldest mammal ever recorded can grow to 18 meters (60 ft) long. The oldest specimen, confirmed by biologists, was around 211 years old at the time of death.
Like bowhead whales, these predators are also endemic to the icy waters of the Arctic. They're believed to be the longest-living vertebrate animal on Earth. These can easily live for over 300 years. In fact, they don't start reproducing until they're around 150 years old!
Jonathan, however, is not the oldest giant tortoise to have ever lived. An Aldabra giant tortoise named Adwaita, from Kolkata, India, is believed to have lived for around 250 years. Why do they live so long? Genetics. These animals have genes that suppress disease, boost immunity, and repair DNA.
Due to their environment, bowhead whales have very slow metabolisms, which consequently increases their longevity.
Giant tortoises are one of the oldest living animals in the world. As of 2022, the oldest currently living giant tortoise is a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan, who lives on the island of St. Helena and is 190.
Lomatia tasmanica, also known as King's Holly, is a shrub believed to be at least 43,600 years old. In fact, these have been growing for so long that leaves have been found in fossils! There is only one known population of this shrub growing in the wild, and it can be found in Tasmania.
These microscopic freshwater animals are actually multicellular (unlike bacteria, for example). They can survive in really extreme conditions such as very high and very low temperatures, including being frozen for long periods of time.
In this gallery, we bring you some of the oldest living things on our planet, from plants to animals and microorganisms. Curious? Click on to find out more.
The oldest living organisms on Earth
Some of these have survived asteroid impacts
LIFESTYLE Life
When we think about lifespans on Earth, we tend to have humans as a reference. But the truth is that we're hardly long-living creatures. In fact, even other mammals surpass us by hundreds of years.
In this gallery, we bring you some of the oldest living things on our planet, from plants to animals and microorganisms. Curious? Click on to find out more.