~ The world's oldest living human at just under 116 years of age.
Guinness World Records has confirmed that on December 17th, 2012, Jiroemon Kimura of Japan is the oldest living human being in the world, after Dina Manfredini of the United States died at the age of 115 years and 257 days. This in itself is not so remarkable (as of January 2nd, 2013, Mr. Kimura is 115 years, 258 days old); what is notable is that the next nine oldest living people on Earth are all women, as life expectancy has historically been longer for women compared to men. Also, on December 28th, 2012, Jiroemon Kimura became the oldest verified human of the male gender in history. But there is more; on Jan. 2, 2013, Mr. Kimura became the 10th oldest human being who ever lived. What is so amazing is that he is the only male on this top-10 list and is also the only person still alive on this list. He is only the second male in history to have made it onto this list.
We believe hereditary factors and genetic mutations play a major role in longevity, read our article titled, "New World Record For Smallest Woman," click here.
So, what is the oldest animal still living? That would likely be Jonathan the tortoise, estimated to be 181 years of age (he currently lives on the island of Saint Helena). He was caught in a photograph taken during the Boer War at around 1900; at the time, he was about 70 years old (see photo below). However, according to Guinness World Records, the oldest verified tortoise that ever lived was named Tu'i Malila; he lived for 188 years (from 1777 to 1965). He was a gift from Captain James Cook to the Tongan royal family.
~ Jonathan the tortoise with Boer War prisoner and guard.
However, there are perhaps other animals that can live even longer than Jonathan and Tu'i Malila. But first, for us humans, the oldest verified person in history was Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1996 at the incredible age of 122 years, 164 days, click here. Humans are a long-lived species which can outlive many other species. But there are claims that certain animals can live for hundreds of years! The problem is, such claims are difficult to verify.
~ The top-10 longest living animal species of our planet.
Finally, what is the oldest thing still alive in our world today? That would be a tree named Methuselah. This Great Basin bristlecone pine tree still grows today in the White Mountains range in the Inyo National Forest, which spans eastern California and Nevada (the exact location of Methuselah is not disclosed for fear of vandalism). Methuselah is believed to be around 4,850 years old! And as for the the oldest verified tree in history, according to Guinness World Records, that would be another Great Basin bristlecone pine named Prometheus. It was believed to be about 5,200 years old before it was cut down in 1964, click here.
~ Methuselah may be the oldest living thing on Earth today.
UPDATE: World's Oldest Man Dies At 116
Jiroemon Kimura of Japan died on June 12th, 2013 at 116 years and 54 days old. He was the oldest verified person of the male gender who ever lived in world history. Now, the oldest living person is once again a woman, Misao Okawa, also of Japan; she is 115 years and 100 days old as of the writing of this update (June 13, 2013).
~ Now, the top 10 oldest living people on Earth are all women.
UPDATE: World's Oldest Human At 123 Years Old?
(August 18, 2013) Claims of being the oldest person in the world abound from all over the world, and we at FrogBook.com tend to ignore them unless some authority like Guinness World Records confirms it. But the claim that Mr. Carmelo Flores Laura of Bolivia has a baptism certificate to prove it really got the media's attention, click here. His claim of being 123 years old would mean he is not only the oldest human alive, but also in world history. And for a person of the male gender instead of a woman to claim this title would be quite amazing.
~ Really?
The government registry which claims Mr. Laura is 123 years old got the information from his baptism certificate. But the actual copy of the physical certificate cannot be shown to the media for privacy reasons. However, a digital record for the baptism does exist and it actually shows that he was born on July 16, 1906 rather than on July 16, 1890, click here. There must have been some sort of error when data from the baptism certificate was transferred to the government registry. Still, a 107-year-old man is fascinating nonetheless! But the oldest person alive today, confirmed by Guinness World Records, is a woman named Misao Okawa of Japan at over 115 years old. And the oldest verified living person of the male gender is Salustiano Sanchez of the U.S. at over 112.
UPDATE: Lion/Tiger Hybrid Breaks Guinness Record
(September 18, 2013) Read our latest update about animals that break world records, click here.
UPDATE: There Is No Gay Gene!
(January 4, 2014) Read our latest article on the science of homosexuality, click here.
For related articles in the Frog Blog:
- There Is No Gay Gene! Click here.
- Bluefin Tuna Sold For $1.7 Million! Click here.
- Bluefin Tuna Sold For A Record $736,000 Click here.
- New World Record For Smallest Woman Click here.
