One of the features that can make an animal to have a long lifespan is the size, due to the protection conferred by its size. Also, some animals like the elephant and the whale, have a slow cell replication rate, what reduces the risk of cancer, because the less they replicate, the fewer mutations can be caused.
Moreover, many animals have developted many ways of protecting themselves from mutations, such as having several copies of an important gene.
A list of some animals with long lifespan:
- Bowhead whale: potentially 200+ years old.
- Rougheye rockfish: 200+ years old.
- Freshwater pearl mussel: 250+ years old.
- Greenland shark: 272+ years old.
- Tubeworm: 300+ years old.
- Glass sponge: 10,000+ years old.
- Hydra: also potentially immortal.