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(#8) Horseshoe Shrimp
Age: 200 million years old
This little guy has the distinction of being the oldest living species on earth that has existed UNCHANGED for 200 million years. In other words, he may not have been around as long as some of the creatures above him, but today he's is still virtually indistinguishable from his 200 million year old fossil. -
(#1) Cyanobacteria
- Phylum
Age: 3.5 billion years old
The oldest known cyanobacteria fossils were found on Archaean rocks of western Australia. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, is a type of bacteria that uses photosynthesis to create energy. It is believed that this played a role in oxidizing the earth's atmosphere, making the planet more suitable for life as we know it. -
(#10) Martialis heureka
- Organism Classification
Age: 100 million years old
The most primitive species of living ants, the DNA of the Martialis heureka (which roughly translates to "From Mars! Wow!") has barely changed in the last 100 million years. This species was discovered in the Amazon in 2000, and generally lives its life underground. -
(#6) Gingko Biloba
Age: 270 million years old
The Ginkgo tree is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales, a group of gymnosperms dating back to 270 million years ago in the Permian period. Due to geological cataclysms, only three or four species were left in the Tertiary period (65 million years ago). The extinction of the dinosaurs as potential seed dispersers of the tree's large seeds may also have influenced this decline, which is in line with the fossil records. -
(#9) Sturgeon
Age: 200 million years old
Sturgeon and related paddlefish have undergone remarkably little morphological change, indicating that their evolution has been slow and earning them informal status of "living fossils." This is explained, in part, by their long inter-generation time, tolerance for wide ranges of water temperature and salinity, lack of predators due to size, and the abundance of prey items in their benthic environment.
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(#2) Sponge
Age: 580 million years old
Sponges are from an ancient animal group whose lineage can be traced back to the beginnings of animal life. Fossils of glass sponges have been found in rocks in Australia, China, and Mongolia. Although about 90% of modern sponges are demosponges, fossilized remains of this type are less common than other types because their skeletons are composed of relatively soft spongin that does not fossilize well.
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About This Tool
Biological evolution depends on changes in the earth's environment, and in the process of discovering the history of the earth, we can clearly see the changes in different geology and different periods of some species on the earth. Some ancient flora and fauna have a history of hundreds of millions or even billions of years, they have continued to evolve for a long time.
In the process of evolution, their tails may disappear, or some may grow new tentacles, or some have hard protective shells. You can find 10 of the oldest living things on earth, including animals, plants, and microorganisms.
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