• Question: Hi, what is the oldest animal or insect in the world, how long has it been around

    Asked by to Ruth, Gemma on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Gemma Marsden

      Gemma Marsden answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Hi bowdeny,

      the oldest organism is actually a bacteria – cyanobacteria have been around for 3.8 billion years!
      But if we look at animals rather than organisms, the marine animals belonging to the sponge family are 580 million years old! (Jelly fish are a close second at 550 million years old).
      Insects have certainly been around for a long time but have evolved quite a lot too. Cockroaches are probably one of the oldest insects and have been around for about 300 million years.

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