Who Smarted? – "What are the Oldest Animals on the Planet?"

Episode Date: November 26, 2025
Podcast: Who Smarted? – Educational Podcast for Kids
Host: Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media

Overview

In this lively, humor-filled episode, the hosts take a deep dive—literally and figuratively—into the science and surprising facts about the oldest animals on Earth. Guided by a retired marine biologist, Dr. Millicent, and trusty sidekick, Trusty, young listeners are whisked through oceans, underground tunnels, and fascinating biological processes to answer the big questions: Which animal lives longest? How do they do it? And is there really a creature that can live forever?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lifespans in Perspective: Tortoises & More

• Turtle Talk: The episode opens with a fun scene at an old folks’ home, introducing Gretchen the 32-year-old turtle, and noting that some tortoises live over a century.
• Myth Busting: Despite their age, tortoises are not the oldest animals. This sets up the journey for even older species.

2. The World's Oldest Animal: Ming the Clam (Ocean Quahog)

• [05:06] Discovery:
  • "More specifically, it was a type of clam, ocean quahog. And it was 507 years old." — Dr. Millicent (B)
• How Was Ming’s Age Determined?
  • "Most clams have annual growth bands on their shell to tell you how old the clam is. Just like the rings on a tree trunk tell you how old a tree." — Dr. Millicent (B) [07:38]
• Longevity Clues:
  • Ocean quahogs in colder waters have slower metabolisms and grow only during the summer, allowing them to age slowly.
  • Colder water correlates with longer lifespan in several marine species.

3. Relative Longevity: The Naked Mole Rat

• [08:15] Fun Facts:
  • "The naked mole rat can live to be about 30 years old. Which compared to Ming the clam's 507 years, seems like nothing. But if you stop to consider that other rodents only live about five years, then those 30 years are suddenly quite long." — Dr. Millicent (B)
• Why So Long?
  • Living underground, safe from predators, and having slow metabolism.
  • Social animals (colonies with a queen, like ants/bees) also tend to live longer.

4. Longest-Living Mammal: The Bowhead Whale

• [13:48] Reveal:
  • "That's because it's a bowhead whale." — Dr. Millicent (B)
• Superlative Lifespans:
  • Bowhead whales can live over 200 years; some carry 1800s harpoons in their blubber.
• What’s Their Secret?
  • Cold arctic waters slow metabolism, similar to ocean quahogs.

5. Other Longevity Records: The Greenland Shark

• [14:34] Ocean Wonders:
  • "Greenland sharks can also live hundreds of years thanks to cold water slowing their metabolism or growth." — Dr. Millicent (B)

6. Unexpected Contenders: Sponges

• [16:27] Oldest Lifeforms:
  • "Sea sponges might look like plants, but they're in fact, animals. And there's a species of Antarctic sponge that's estimated to be over. Wait for it. 15,000 years old." — Dr. Millicent (B)
• Amazing Adaptations:
  • Sponges continually regenerate stem cells, allowing perpetual renewal.
  • Cold, deep ocean habitats help slow their aging further.

7. Potential Immortality: The Immortal Jellyfish

• [18:23] Highlight:
  • "The longest living creature is the immortal jellyfish, or the Turritopsis dohrnii, to be exact." — Dr. Millicent (B)
• Life Cycle Trick:
  • If threatened, it reverts to a juvenile polyp stage, starting its life cycle over—known as transdifferentiation.
  • "Instead of dying, it just sucks its tentacles back in, shrinks down, and turns back into a polyp. It then starts its life cycle all over again." — Dr. Millicent (B) [19:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clam Longevity:
  • "Ming is more than five times older than me, and I'm ancient." — Dr. Millicent (B) [05:20]
• On Metabolism:
  • "It's believed that cold waters slow down animals' metabolism, allowing them to live much longer." — Dr. Millicent (B) [07:06]
• On Sea Sponges:
  • "Sea sponges are constantly regenerating stem cells, so when parts of them die off or break, new parts just grow back. This allows them to continuously renew themselves. How cool would that be?" — Dr. Millicent (B) [17:32]
• On Immortal Jellyfish:
  • "If the jellyfish gets injured, senses danger, or has trouble finding food, instead of dying, it just... turns back into a polyp. It then starts its life cycle all over again." — Dr. Millicent (B) [19:44]
• Running Joke:
  • Trusty repeatedly stresses he "doesn't do great in cold weather."
  • Dr. Millicent pretends to forget which submarine button to press, adding suspense and humor.

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:35 | Introduction – Old folks' home & intro to animal aging | | 03:23 | Submarine adventure – reveal of secret sub | | 04:46 | Oldest animal discovered: Ocean Quahog clam, "Ming" | | 05:46 | How clams are aged (growth rings) | | 07:06 | Cold-water effect on animal lifespan | | 08:15 | Naked mole rat’s surprising longevity | | 09:49 | How mole rats live long – slow metabolism, social structure | | 11:30 | Longest living mammal: Hint that it isn’t a human | | 13:48 | Reveal: Bowhead whale as oldest mammal | | 14:34 | Greenland shark: Oldest vertebrate | | 15:36 | Even older: Antarctic sponge (15,000+ years) | | 17:32 | Regeneration in sponges explained | | 18:23 | The "immortal" jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii | | 19:44 | Jellyfish reverts to polyp to live again (transdifferentiation)|

Thematic Takeaways

• Longevity is Relative: What counts as "ancient" depends on what other animals you compare it to.
• Environment Shapes Lifespan: Cold environments slow metabolism in many animals, allowing them to outlive their warm-water or land-based counterparts.
• Nature's Surprise: Some of the longest-living animals are ones we don’t even notice, like sponges or jellyfish, and some even push the boundary of what "aging" means.

Final Thoughts

The episode wraps up with laughter and a return to exercise class, reaffirming the show’s goal: learning is fun, surprising, and full of wild wonders. With playful trivia, engaging storytelling, and actual scientific depth, this “Who Smarted?” installment will leave kids and their families marveling at Earth's most ageless creatures—and maybe just a bit more interested in chilly oceans or jellyfish magic.