• On every continent on the planet you can find ancient lifeforms that have been living for thousands, or even millions of years, their lifespans varying wildly depending on the type of organism.
For each question, estimate how old the item is with reference to three age groups – A) Ancient (5000 years old or more), B) Middle Aged (4,000 to 4,999 years old) or C) Junior (less than 4,000 years old) NB Average age taken where a range is given
• Data taken from www.atlasobscura.com/lists/worlds-oldest-living-things
1. Old Tjikko (Sweden) – growing atop Fulufajallet Mountain, this Norway Spruce is one of the oldest trees in the world.
2. Methuselah Tree (California) – this Great Basin Bristlecone Pine was germinated before the Egyptian Pyramids were built.
3. Sunland Baobob (South Africa) – Baobob trees naturally hollow out after 1,000 years, so being well past that, and hollow, it now houses a small pub inside.
4. Li Jiawan Grand Ginkgo King (China) – this ancient ginkgo tree is the largest in the world, containing a hollow so big a man once lived in it for two years.
5. The Fortingall Yew (Scotland) – claimed by some to be the oldest living thing in Europe and venerated by ancient pagans, associating them with death and afterlife.
6. Llangernyw Yew (Wales) – ancient yew tree dating back to the Bronze Age, pre Christianity.
7. Olive Tree of Vouves (Greece) – despite it ancient age, this olive tree still produces fruit, and now has an olive-celebrating museum built alongside it.
8. Tāne Mahuta (New Zealand) – the country’s largest known living kauri tree, the” Lord of the Forest” stands 51 metres tall with a girth of at least 13 metres.
9. Volcano Sponge of McMurdo Sound (Antarctica) – thought to be the world’s oldest living animal, perhaps so old because of the extreme cold of the habitat.
10. Black Tree Coral colonies of Milford Sound (New Zealand) – among the oldest continuously living organisms on the planet, there are around 7 million colonies living in Milford Sound.
