If we analyze life as a whole and study the existence of the oldest animals on Earth, we will notice how young we are in front of everything. After all, the human, that is, the homo sapiens appeared about 350,000 years ago.

But that doesn't mean anything to other species of living beings. Just to give you an idea, the sea turtle has existed for about 150 million years. Did you manage to understand our joviality in front of these animals?!

So it is! And this is exactly what our text is about. Inspired by the Super Interesting list, we'll talk more about the oldest animals on Earth. After reading it, you will surely start to respect these kittens more!

Apart from the sea turtle, it is very likely that we will not be able to see any of these animals around. That's because, in addition to living at the bottom of the sea, many of them are not around for our Brazil.

Still, they are fascinating! They have amazing colors and shapes and are certainly worthy of a lot of respect. So read on to check out all the animals on the list and pick your favorite!

Chances are, if someone asked you which are the oldest animals in the world, you would bet on the tortoise. If this statement is correct, know one thing: you would be right in your answer!

Among the animals listed in our text, the sea turtle is the “youngest” of them all. This is because its species is about 150 million years old, which is practically 4x less than the oldest animal in the world.

Born at the same time as the sea turtle, as both have existed for 150 million years, the frilled shark, also called the eel shark, is one of the oldest creatures ever found alive today.

This animal, which was considered extinct until recently, is about two meters long and inhabits waters at depths ranging from 600 to 11,000 meters.

A curious fact is that it was recently captured on the Algarve coast, a coastal and very touristic region in Portugal. We don't even need to say that this moment caused an uproar in the Portuguese land, right?

After all, this semiaquatic mammal native to Australia and Tasmania is probably one of the most unusual animals that inhabit our planet.

Despite its exotic appearance that involves its duck-like beak and furry body, the platypus is, as you can predict, one of the oldest animals on Earth, existing for around 180 million years.

That is, you may even find the animal funny, but remember what your mother said: respect for the elderly!

Like the platypus, the echidna, the seventh animal on our list of the oldest in the world, has also been on Earth for about 180 million years.

However, its similarities with the platypus do not stop there!

Both animals are monotremes, that is, mammals that lay eggs. But what you didn't know is that it's only these two species and only them that have such a characteristic.

There is, therefore, no other animal in the world considered monotreme!

Now the question remains: is it just a coincidence that both the echidna and the platypus are on our list of the oldest animals on Earth? Unlikely, don't you agree?!

So it is! You might not have guessed this, but the marine crocodile is also one of the oldest animals in the world.

To give you an idea, he has lived among us (or well before us, to be fair) for 250 million years. That is, your species has a story to tell!

For the unwary, the marine crocodile is the largest existing reptile today and, as you can imagine, it is extremely dangerous for man.

This is because, with its 64 to 68 sharp teeth, this animal is capable of crushing the skull of an adult bovine in a single bite.

So what would become of us young mortals? So, better hope that you never have the displeasure of running into such a crocodile in your life.

In our top 5 of the oldest animals on Earth, we have the triops, which have existed for about 300 million years.

Considered a genus of small crustaceans of the order Notostraca (tadpole shrimp), this animal measuring just 11 cm is hermaphrodite and androdioecious, that is, it can self-fertilize.

The interesting fact is that, alone, a triops is able to recreate the entire population of its species, which would explain why it has been in the world for so long.

By the way, with this genetic characteristic, one thing is a fact: this animal would never be on our list of the rarest in the world!

The lamprey is the popular name given to a group of eel-shaped fish that live in tepid (warm) waters all over the world, except in Africa.

At 360 million years old, what most draws attention to this animal is not its millennial existence, but its bizarre and unusual appearance.

As you can see in the photo above, the most striking feature of the lamprey is the absence of mandibles.

On the other hand, there is, in its place, an opening with a diameter similar to that of the body and its mouth is outlined by a kind of cartilage.

The most curious thing about all this is that, even though it is considered an ugly and strange animal, the lamprey is widely consumed around the world.

So, would you face it?

Coelacanths are bony “fish” with lobed fins that can weigh up to 80 kilos with their 180 cm length.

Considered the “missing link” between fish and tetrapods, as they are the closest relatives of the first creature to walk on land, they have four fins with joints that move like terrestrial vertebrate limbs.

In the world 400 million years ago, the subclass of coelacanths, Actinistia, was believed to have been extinct for 65 million years, until, on December 23, 1938, a living specimen was found.

Until then, about 120 species of coelacanths were known (Coelacanthiformes), which had been extinct since the Cretaceous period.

At over 445 million years old, second on the list of the oldest on Earth is the horseshoe crab.

But don't be fooled by its name!

Although it is called a crab, this animal is more similar to arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions.

For your knowledge, this animal is very valuable for medicine.

This is because its blue blood has medicinal properties and is used to test medical equipment and vaccines, thus helping to treat patients. Interesting fact, isn't it?

Number 1 of the oldest animals on Earth is the nautilus.

Existing for 550 million years, it is a mollusk, like snails and mussels, being a close relative of octopuses, squids and cuttlefish.

Speaking like this, you may even think you don't know him, but actually you do!

This creature of only 27 cm lives in a cocoon that you are very familiar with: the mother-of-pearl.

Yes, this is where this material, so present in women's accessories and jewelry, comes from.

With the nautilus, we end our list of the oldest animals on Earth.

After this text, it is a fait accompli that humans are very recent beings in this world, isn't it?