This Sea Creature Looks Like Poop. It May Also Live For 120 Years. - ScienceAlert

Somewhere in the world, surely, a Monkey's Paw is cackling maniacally to itself. Scattered across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a humble sea cucumber named Holothuria (Microthele) whitmaei makes its home. This unassuming animal somewhat resembles poop, has been saddled with the lamentable common name "black teatfish", and is highly prized as a delicacy in some cultures – even though it has been listed as endangered for more than a decade. And yet, a new study has found, H. whitmaei may live for more than 120 years. In a genetic study spanning more than two decades, a team led by biologist Sven Uthicke of the Australian Institute of Marine Science has discovered that this species barely grows at all – and can live for an astonishingly long time. "Although individuals of some sea urchin species can live to over 100 years, deriving at a similar conclusion for the black teatfish was surprising," they write in a paper published in iScience. "This species is the first sea cucumber species known to surpass a longevity of a century.