Life on Earth started to thrive soon after the planet was formed and was merely dependent upon the environmental conditions of the Earth. After digging deep in the history of the Earth, we found out what all species evolved a million years ago. If you are curious to know about them, then you must check out the following list of the oldest living species on Earth.
- Cyanobacteria
It is the oldest known living organism in this world. It originated around 2.8 billion years ago and is the foremost microbe to carry the photosynthesis process for the production of oxygen. They are one of the reasons that our Earth’s environment has oxygen to breathe. These unicellular reproductive cyanobacteria are also known as green-clue bacteria.
- Sponges
They are specialized marine animals that resemble a plant. They are found in the ocean water from more than 580 million years and have more than 5000 different species in the world. Sponges are found living in colonies in the depths of the oceans. They don’t have a particular shape, internal organs, or even external organs like arms or heads. Sponges have a regeneration property, which helps them to grow.
- Jellyfish
The umbrella headed jellyfishes are commonly found in the oceans. They evolved 550 million years ago and are the oldest multi-organ animal in the world. However, they do not possess a brain or a nervous system. 90% of a jellyfish’s body consists of water, so they don’t have a particular shape. You can find them in multiple colors in the depths of oceans. They are also to be one of the most poisonous species on Earth.
- Nautilus
It is a marine mollusk that originated around 500million yeara ago even before the Dinosaurs were found. It is considered that Nautilus is the only member of the shellfish group that survived. They are mostly found in the depths of around 2200 feet in the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, and Andaman. Its body consists of multiple chambered shells and is known to be a living fossil.
- Horseshoe crabs
The horseshoe crab is a hard exoskeletal animal that originated on Earth long before 445 million years. It lives in shallow ocean water all across the world. Their body consists of spine and long-tail along with nine eyes, in which two are the main eyes, and the rest of them are mostly used as a light receptor. They can sense UV rays.
- Coelacanths
It is a critically endangered aquatic species that came into life around 360 million years ago. There are two types of Coelacanths, which are mainly found on the coastlines of Indonesia and Africa. They weigh around 90kgs and are about 6.5 feet in length. They possess a unique movement because of their legs like lobe fins. It has an electro-sensory organ that helps it to detect the prey around it in the ocean easily. They can catch large prey by widening their mouth.
- Sturgeon
It is one of the oldest members of the family of bony fishes, which evolved around 200million years ago. Sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish of North America; however, it is also found in Eurasia. They are the migratory fishes who switch their place in the winters. This critically endangered species weigh up to 200 to 600kgs and is approximately 5.5 feet in length. Sturgeons lay plenty of eggs at a time, but humans immediately harvest them so solve their purpose. Thus, it is a major threat to the life of this sea creature.