7 of the oldest living things on Earth (and some are in MENA)

Most things a kid meets are under 100 years old. These are not.

1. Methuselah, a bristlecone pine

~4,855 years old. In California. Older than the Great Pyramid at Giza.

2. Pando, an aspen grove in Utah

A single organism of 40,000 genetically identical trees connected underground. Estimated age: 14,000+ years; some claim 80,000.

3. The ancient olive trees of Bethlehem

Several olive trees in the West Bank are over 2,000 years old — and still producing olives.

4. Lebanon's cedars

Some cedars in the Lebanese mountains are over 1,000 years old and were mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, 4,000 years ago.

5. Posidonia sea grass, Balearic Islands

A single clonal organism estimated at 100,000 years old.

6. A jellyfish species that resets

Turritopsis dohrnii can revert to its juvenile form when stressed. Individual jellies are theoretically immortal.

7. The Saudi Ghaf trees

National tree of the UAE. Some specimens in Saudi and UAE are 500+ years old, surviving in some of Earth's driest conditions.

Pick an age band and start filling Xplorer's tank