Bizarre tube worms could be longest living creatures on the planet at 300 years old
LARGE tube worms believed to live up to 300 years old might be some of the longest living creatures on the planet.
300-year-old tube worms could be the longest living creatures on the planet
Ecarpia laminata, to use its scientific name, exist at depths of 10,000 feet in the Gulf of Mexico in areas where hydrogen sulphide, methane and other hydrocarbon chemicals seep from marine vents.
With so much many mysteries surrounding the worms, scientist Alanna Durkin and her team have been looking at their lifespans and made some surprising discoveries.
Given the uncertainty associated with estimating the ages of the longest individuals, there may be large Escarpia laminata tubeworms alive in nature that live even longer.
By studying 356 individual worms from different locations, they have been able to work out their annual rate of growth and compare them to other species of tubeworm.
The result is that they believe Escarpia laminata individuals live longer than 250 years, with some achieving triple centuries.
This is achieved by obeying longevity theory that states in the absences of external threats natural selection chooses individuals that age slowly and breed into their old age.
Ecarpia laminata exist at depths of 10,000 feet in the Gulf of Mexico
Ms Durkin, of Temple University in Philadelphia, says: “At more than 250 years old, Escarpia laminata achieves a lifespan that exceeds other longevity records.
"Given the uncertainty associated with estimating the ages of the longest individuals, there may be large Escarpia laminata tubeworms alive in nature that live even longer.”
The longest lived land animals are Galapagos giant tortoises, with one individual reaching 177 years.
Escarpia laminata individuals live longer than 250 years, with some achieving triple centuries
Greenland sharks have been estimated to reach up to 500 years, a similar age to a type Arctic clam.
The discovery is revealed in the journal The Science of Nature.