This slimy, blind amphibian doesn’t look a lot like its human namesake, but it does share our great longevity, living an average of 69 years and often living well past 100. That’s pretty much unheard of for something so small.
Also known as the cave salamander, the human fish is only a few inches long. It’s one of the very few centenarian animals, joining animals like tortoises, whales, and well, us. Of course, all of those organisms are much, much bigger than this little guy, which makes its longevity all that much more remarkable.
Biologists say it lives three times longer than you’d expect for something of its size. They attribute its long life to its incredibly inactive lifestyle – it barely moves around at all, and they only reproduce every 12 years. Eh, I’ve heard worse ways to live to 100.
