The 'immortal' jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii To date, there's only one species that has been called '
At the top of our immortal animals list is a tiny variety of jellyfish known as Turritopsis doohmii, or more commonly, the immortal jellyfish. It has found a way to cheat death by actually reversing its aging process, according to National Geographic.
How long does the immortal jellyfish live? Potentially forever. Which gets more impressive considering these creatures have been floating through the oceans long before the dinosaurs went extinct (66 million years ago) – it's biologically possible for a single immortal jellyfish to have been alive for this entire time.
A study of American lobsters suggested that the reason these animals do not seem to slowdown in old age is due to them having an infinite supply of the enzyme telomerase throughout their cells. Like a cellular fountain of youth, this enzyme can extend a cell's life by regenerating telomers, putting off senescence.
To date, there's only one species that has been called 'biologically immortal': the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii. These small, transparent animals hang out in oceans around the world and can turn back time by reverting to an earlier stage of their life cycle.
In nature, most Turritopsis dohrnii are likely to succumb to predation or disease in the medusa stage without reverting to the polyp form. The capability of biological immortality with no maximum lifespan makes T. dohrnii an important target of basic biological, aging and pharmaceutical research.
The percentage of genetic similarities between humans and animals does vary: chimps, 97% similar; cats, 90%; cows, 80%; mice, 75%; fruit flies, 60%, and jellyfish, 60%.
Gradually, the medusa buds off the polyp once again, rejuvenated. While a predator or an injury can kill T. dohrnii, old age does not. They are, effectively, immortal.
Wild species can live anywhere from a few days to decades. One species in particular, dubbed the 'Immortal Jellyfish' (Turritopsis dohrnii) may actually live forever. This jellyfish is more likely to die at the hands (or mouth) of a turtle or fish, than from old age.
Flatworms, nematodes, and cnidarians (jellyfish, sea anemones, and corals) do not have a circulatory system and thus do not have blood.
Did anyone know that some animals have blue blood, especially when it is exposed to oxygen? Can you guess what animals might have blue blood? Lobsters, crabs, pillbugs, shrimp, octopus, crayfish, scallops, barnacles, snails, small worms (except earthworms), clams, squid, slugs, mussels, horseshoe crabs, most spiders.
They react differently when external stimuli are applied while sleeping and while awake. But the bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus show the same reaction in both situations. This indicates that bullfrogs do not sleep. Lithobates catesbeianus is an animal that cannot sleep.
Spiders usually have eight eyes (some have six or fewer), but few have good eyesight. They rely instead on touch, vibration and taste stimuli to navigate and find their prey.
Another specimen had a recorded lifespan of 374 years. The tubeworm Escarpia laminata that lives in deep sea cold seeps regularly reaches the age of between 100 and 200 years, with some individuals determined to be more than 300 years old. Some may live for over 1000 years.
Wild animals like lions, tigers, etc. cannot be tamed in the house as pet animals as they are wild by nature.
Of those that do exist, the oldest-known jellyfish fossils, found in Utah, date to 505 million years ago and have enough detail to show clear relationships with some modern species of jellyfish.
Lacking brains, blood, or even hearts, jellyfish are pretty simple critters. They are composed of three layers: an outer layer, called the epidermis; a middle layer made of a thick, elastic, jelly-like substance called mesoglea; and an inner layer, called the gastrodermis.
Like other jellyfish, they are preyed upon by sea turtles, fish, and even larger jellyfish or sea anemones. But if a predator tries to eat them or the jelly experiences environmental stress, the transformation process is triggered and they return to early polyp stage, often unharmed.
Humans share approximately half of our DNA with bananas, 40% with apples, and some other species of plants are lower than that.
Human and chimp DNA is so similar because the two species are so closely related. Humans, chimps and bonobos descended from a single ancestor species that lived six or seven million years ago.
Unlike most species of jellyfish, box jellies have eyes and can see, rather than only sense light. They have 24 eyes spread across all four sides of their bell, meaning that they have 360-degree vision.
Elephants can run up to 25 miles per hour. However, they remain the only mammal on earth that can't jump. They always keep one leg on the ground - even when running.
While, as shown with creatures such as hydra and Planarian worms, it is indeed possible for a creature to be biologically immortal, these are animals which are physiologically very different from humans, and it is not known if something comparable will ever be possible for humans.
Delphinapterus leucas or the beluga whale is the only member of its genus and lacks subspecies. Dugong dugong is the only species in the monotypic genus Dugong. Homo sapiens (humans) are monotypic, as they have too little genetic diversity to harbor any living subspecies.