5 Oldest Animal Species Living Under Water

For the first cell that divided and turned into an organism that crawled out of the pool of live, animals have evolved into complex creatures that are equip with features that help them survive their environmental conditions. However, some animals still kept their most basic forms, even after millions of years. Below are five of the oldest animal species living in the waters that look pretty much the same as they did during the time of the dinosaurs.

Frilled Sharks

Considered as living fossils, these sharks have been around since 150 million years ago. They’re usually 5 feet long and have about 300 very sharp teeth lined up in 25 rows. What makes these sharks look so strange is that their mouth looks bigger than other shark species. They stay in close to the bottom of the ocean and rarely swim up, which is why not a lot is known about these creatures.

Horseshoe Shrimp

These guys were swimming with dinosaurs 200 million years ago. They may be tiny, with an average size of 2 to 4 millimeters in length, but they have the ability to survive almost any type of weather condition. Another feature that these shrimps have is the ability of their eggs to stay dormant when dry. Once hydrated, the eggs can develop and hatch.

Sturgeon

A fresh water fish, they’ve been swimming the waters of the North America and Eurasia for 200 million years.  Like salmon, these fishes spend most of their lives migrating during winter. They’re also huge, reaching an average length of 5.5 feet and weighing at 200 to 300 kilos. Although the lay a lot of eggs, humans are constantly harvesting them, causing this magnificent creature to be listed as critically endangered.

Coelacanath

Another very rare fish that’s been around for more than 360 million years, coelacanaths are seen in the coast of Indonesia and Africa. They can grow to about 6.5 feet and weigh in at 90 kg. A strange feature of these fishes is that they use their lobe fins like legs which make them move like trotting horses. These fishes stay in the deep which is why it’s difficult to study them. They can also live up to 60 years old.

Horseshoe Crab

Named after horse shoes because of their shape, they have been around for 445 million years. Horseshoe Crabs are seen all over the world and are identified by their light brown exoskeleton, spines and long tails. These crabs have a total of nine eyes, but only use two for seeing. The others are used as light receptors.

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5 of the Oldest Species Still to Exist

The earth has millions of types of animals living on it, but we actually only still know a small amount of them. a number of those are extinct species, which a few have died out over the past few centuries or had died out long before man existed. But a few of those animals still do exist today. Below are a few of the oldest animal species that still exists today, and most of them are found in the depths of the ocean.

Goblin Sharks

These sharks spend most of their time in the bottom of very deep waters, so we usually don’t see them. Not a lot is known about these sharks, but it’s estimated that they’ve been around for 118 million years. The base of their teeth protrudes out of their mouth, making them very visible. A live specimen was caught in the waters near Japan back in 2007, however it didn’t survive.

Martialis Heureka Ant

This is the only land animal on the list. Although they’re old, humans had just recently discovered them in the early 20’s. They’re now represented as a new ant species and they even have their own genus and subfamily. This primitive and prehistoric line existed right at the start of the evolution of ant, dating back 120 million years ago.

Frilled Shark

Older than the goblin shark, frilled sharks are known to be the oldest shark species that are still around. Their physical features are unlike the more evolved and “modern” sharks, which is why they have a more eel-like shape to their body. Scientist estimate that these sharks have been around for over 150 million years. They also live at the ocean’s sea bed, which is why we rarely ever see them. However, a specimen occasionally does get caught in fishing nets every now and then.

Tadpole Shrimp

Although they’ve been around for an estimated 220 million years, these animals are now tagged as endangered. They’ve been having problems repopulating and scientist are finding ways to help them survive. In 2010, they discovered that tadpole shrimp eggs are able to lie dormant for a long time when they’re dried. Hopefully, this can help the species live longer.

Sturgeon

There is actually a wide umbrella that covers a number of species listed as sturgeons. They’ve survived for about 200 million years, however, they face a huge population problem because of human intervention. Sturgeons are harvested for their eggs or caviar, which we in turn make into luxury food items. They also face problems with the destruction of their natural habitat and pollution.

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