What is the oldest living thing on Earth?

1. 91

   Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years ago

   What is the oldest living thing on Earth?
   
   Noooo ! It is not me -- and please try to answer before you go searching on the internet.

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2. 79

   junksellerposted 9 years ago

   There are some trees that are around 5,000 years old, but I can't name them from my head.
   
   There are also some plant colonies that are interconnected that are much older than that, though, some would argue that they don't technically count since they are clonal. That's the best I can do from my head.

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Very good thoughts, junkseller. Thank you.

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   2. 60

      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Weeds

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3. 89

   Kathleen Odenthalposted 9 years ago

   my mom..... just kidding! she is old though.

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hope she does not see your answer, Kathleen. LOL

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4. 60

   The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

   The earth of course. It came before everything else.

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Good answer, Kevin, for Mother Earth is very much alive. But what is the oldest living thing ON Earth?

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   2. 60

      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Amoeba, cells.

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   3. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hmmmmm ... good thinking, Kevin.

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   4. 60

      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It sounds like you may not like that so I will say insects.

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   5. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Ah hahaha, Kevin, I admire your determination. Nope on insects. 

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   6. 60

      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Ocean life (fish, plants, etc.).

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   7. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Nope

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   8. 60

      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Weeds and grass.

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   9. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      LOL .... Nope.

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   10. 60

       The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       There is an old, large turtle which lives at the very bottom of the sea, I believe in the darkest part there is. There is only one of its type.
       Or the Loch Ness monster. lol

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   11. 91

       Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I love turtles and Nessie -- but, nope.

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5. 73

   Marie Flintposted 9 years ago

   I confess, I don't know, Phyllis, but I'm thinking along the lines of alligator, shark, or sea turtle. Then, of course there's the plant kingdom: basic algae, sequoias, and redwoods. One-cell amoebas?

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well, you gave it a good shot, Marie. Thanks for participating -- you made me giggle.

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6. 0

   sheilamyersposted 9 years ago

   I'm trying to decide which way you're asking this. Is it the thing lives the longest or something that has been living and dying for the longest period of history? I'd say some kind of tree probably lives the longest - something like the giant redwoods in California. I'd pick some type of one-celled organism as the one that fits the description as what's been here since almost the beginning of time, but I don't know which one. I'm definitely going to Google this one, but I'll keep the answer to myself if I find it.

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   1. 0

      sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I looked it up. I was amazed to see all of the things that are thousands of years old. Thanks for asking the question.

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   2. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Oldest living thing, since appeared on Earth. You have some good ideas, Sheila.

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7. 87

   MizBejabbersposted 9 years ago

   The cockroach? It is certainly one of the oldest living species, but I'm not sure if you want a living being or a living species. Actually, I don't know, but I do know that the oldest dead human on earth is a 2,000,000 year old skeleton found in the Bosnian Pyramid a few years ago, but mainstream archaeologists don't admit it and don't want you to know about it.

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Wow! A 2,000,000 year old skeleton? That is amazing. No, it is not the cockroach. This is ONE thing and is the oldest living thing on Earth. It has been living longer than any other thing.

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   2. 87

      MizBejabbersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I heard this in a lecture by Dr. Semir Osmanigich, the expert on the Bosnian Pyramid. Dr. "Sam" was in little Rock a couple of years ago.

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   3. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I will have to try and find some info on this finding. It is so interesting.

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8. 86

   Express10posted 9 years ago

   I'd imagine a redwood tree and maybe in 2nd place Koi which can live up to 200 years. And no, I did not search online for answers, just searched my brain Hope it helps.

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Redwood trees can get pretty old and I know the Koi can live long, but neither of those is the correct answer. Thank you Express10.

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9. 70

   Johnny Parkerposted 9 years ago

   There was an oak tree in Wales which was destroyed in a storm last year which dated back to before William the Conqueror which put it at over 1000 years old. Some yew trees grow to be very old too.

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   1. 91

      Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Johnny. This is very interesting. It is sad the Oak was destroyed. I love Oak trees.

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10. 91

    Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years ago

    
    
    Thank you everyone for your participation and delightful answers, I so enjoyed this session and appreciate your participating.
    
    METHUSELAH, a Bristlecone Pine is the oldest continuously living thing on Earth, at 4,845 years. This tree is in the  Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains, Inyo County, California.
    
    Photo: Wikipedia Public Domain

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