The lives of some animals are very short, such as mayflies which generally live for just one day.

On the other side of the spectrum are animals with extraordinarily long lives. One example of this is a sponge belonging to the species Monorhaphis chuni.

While many people mistake sponges for plants, they are actually animals and this particular species lives in Antarctica.

It looks something like a corn dog with one spicule that is attached to the ocean substrate and then the body growing around that substrate. These sponges can get quite long, with one being measured at over 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length. They don’t, however, get very thick with this sample being just 1 centimeter (.4 inches).

This species of sponge wasn’t discovered until 1986. Recently, scientists took a closer look using an electron microscope and found that they could use the silicon dioxide rod at the center of the creature to measure its age.

They were shocked to discover that the one they analyzed was around 11,000 years old.

Klaus Peter Jochum put out a release on this, saying:

“Initially we recognized four areas under the electron microscope where the lamellae grew irregularly. They indicate time periods of increasing water temperature, for example due to the eruption of a seamount.”

In addition to the age of the creature, the scientists were able to learn about the environment it lived in throughout the years, including the temperature of the water.

They estimate that at one time there was a seamount eruption, which raised the temperature of the area where it was living from 2 degrees celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit) up to 6-10 degrees celsius (42.8-50 Fahrenheit). Needless to say, this sponge survived the spike in temperature without any trouble.

Continued study of these incredible creatures is needed to see what other secrets they have to reveal.

I can’t imagine living 11,000 years.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read a story that reveals Earth’s priciest precious metal isn’t gold or platinum and costs over $10,000 an ounce!