Oldest Living Thing on Earth, Posidonia Oceanica, Discovered: 5 Other Oldest Organisms [PHOTOS]

The oldest living thing on Earth has been discovered to be a self-cloning seagrass in the Mediterranean.

They have never experienced the speed of climate that the Mediterranean is currently experiencing, said Carlos Duarte of the University of Western Australia. Duarte and his team studied the DNA of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica at 40 different sites across Spain and Cyprus, reported UPI. Researchers believe that the seagrass could at least 100,000 years old and as much as 200,000 years old.

The reason why Posidonia oceanica has lived so long is because of how it reproduces. Posidonia oceanica reproduces asexually, by cloning. Each strand of seagrass is genetically identical to the next and therefore is considered one organism. Posidonia oceanica also lacks any major predators, allowing it to flourish along the seafloor. Because of these factors, it is estimated that there are nearly 2,100 miles of meadows across the seafloor.

Most organisms certainly do not live to be as old as the Posidonia Oceanica. However, there are many other plants that can live well over 1,000 years.

Click through the slideshow see what organisms will survive well into the next millennium.