Order These Animals from Longest to Shortest Lifespan

Arrange these animals in the correct order from the longest natural lifespan to the shortest. Lifespan varies enormously across the animal kingdom - From the Greenland shark, which can live for over 400 years, to small mammals and insects that live only weeks or months. The relationship between body size and lifespan is a general biological principle known as the rate-of-living theory, but there are fascinating exceptions: bats live far longer than their body size would predict, and some clams outlive elephants by centuries. Understanding animal lifespans illuminates deep questions in evolutionary biology about why organisms age and what determines the pace of life. Some animals like the immortal jellyfish are even considered biologically immortal under the right conditions. Test your animal lifespan knowledge.