Humans are lucky if they ever make it to 100 years old; the average person lives just 3/4 of that figure. On the other hand, other organisms can easily out-live human beings.
For one, tortoises are known for their long life spans. One Galapagos tortoise that goes by the name of Jonathan is going on 184 years of age today. Although that more than doubles the life expectancy of a human, there are still other creatures on Earth that can out-live Jonathan.
Most vertebrates are relatively limited in their years, while some invertebrates can survive longer. On the other hand, non-animal life forms like plants can easily live for millennia. For example, some bristlecone pines are thought to have sprouted as early as 5,000 years ago.
At the top of the food chain are bacteria, which seem to have different lengths of life spans. In some cases, bacteria can survive for up to 500,000 years, which is astonishing compared to the short life expectancy people have.
Indeed, it might seem like we live long lives, but they're actually quite short.
