Discover the world's longest living animals

Scientists have identified the longest living animal in the world. It is a sea oyster in the North Atlantic with a lifespan of up to 507 years.

The fishermen caught a sea oyster, named Ming , off the coast of Iceland in 2006. However, the scientists accidentally killed this oyster after placing it in the cupboard. Cold before opening its shell to check.

Sea shells have the highest life expectancy in the world

Sea shells develop a new layer every summer when the sea water becomes warmer and more food. By the method of counting vein numbers in the shell of Ming oysters, scientists initially thought that it was born about 400 years ago.

However, after analyzing the shell better, scientists from Bangor University believe that it was born in 1499 during the Ming Dynasty in China. This means that the Ming oyster lives for 507 years at the time of its death in 2006.

'We misidentified its age for the first time and maybe we were a bit rushed to announce the results later,' said Dr. Paul Butler, a member of the research team.

This new discovery means that the Ming oyster was born seven years after Columbus discovered America. It was on the seabed through many historical landmarks such as the British Civil War, the Enlightenment Age, the Industrial Revolution and two world wars.