AnAge entry for Scolymastra joubini
Classification (HAGRID: 04662)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Hexactinellida
Order: Lyssacinosida
Family: Rossellidae
Genus: Scolymastra
- Species
- Scolymastra joubini
- Common name
- Hexactinellid sponge
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- Maximum longevity
- 15,000 years (wild)
- Source
- ref. 688
- Sample size
- Medium
- Data quality
- Questionable
- Observations
Animals of this and similar species of Antarctic sponges grow extremely slowly in the low temperatures. Estimates based on growth rates suggest a very long lifespan in this and similar animals. One two meter high specimen in the Ross Sea was estimated to be 23,000 years old, though because of sea level fluctuations in the Ross Sea it is unlikely that such an animal could have lived for more than 15,000 years [0688]. Even if 15,000 years is an overestimate, which may well be the case, this specimen appears to be the longest-lived animal on earth.
Life history traits (averages)
- No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.
Metabolism
No information on metabolism is available.
References
- [0688] Susanne Gatti (2002), The role of sponges in high-Antarctic carbon and silicon cycling: a modelling approach
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account (if available)
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
- Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
- Images
- Google Image search
- Internet
- Search Google