how long does an ocean quahog live?
The ocean quahog is large bivalve that can reach a height of up to 10 cm. It grows rather rapidly during the first years, but the growth slows down after it reaches sexual maturity at the age of about 20 years, at the size of 6 to 7 cm. The ocean quahog can live to a very old age; the oldest individual measured in Icelandic waters was estimated to be about 400 years old. This makes the ocean quahog the longest lived animal on earth. The ocean quahog lives buried in the sediment so only a small opening of the shell is visible.
Scientists didn't actually kill the world's oldest animal, a clam, just to find out how old it was. Shell valves from a specimen of Arctica islandica that was found to have lived for approximately 507 years are pictured here. The creature's death has generated some consternation about marine researchers that looks a bit overblown.