3. Bowhead whale

Bowhead whales also make the list of the longest-living animals, having a lifespan of about 200 years. This is longer than any other mammal.

According to researchers, it’s not always easy to tell their exact age, as they spend their lives in the sub-Arctic and Arctic and can outlive the experts that study them. While it sounds horrible, one way to estimate age is to analyze the fragments of harpoons left in the blubber of captured bowhead whales.

For example, a whale had harpoon fragments dating back to the 1800s! Another way to estimate these animals’ lifespans is to use DNA. Based on DNA studies, scientists suggest they can live to the grand old age of 266!