Ocean Wonders: Aging in the Abyss

Imagine what it might be like to get old living in the deep. From creatures that exist for just a matter of days to others that never quite die, animal aging in the deep blue is as wild as the sea itself. Join us as we take a look at what it’s like to grow old in the ocean.
Hey, teachers! Here’s a cheat sheet of what’s included in this episode of Ocean Wonders:
- How does the ocean encourage long-lived animals?
- Where do the longest-living marine animals live in the ocean?
- How do we know the ages of animals in the ocean?
- What are the shortest and longest-lived animals in the ocean?
- Do any marine animals experience menopause?
- How do animals age in the ocean?
- Whale, bottlenose dolphin, clam, fish, plankton, pygmy goby, bowhead whale, rougheye rockfish, Greenland shark, quahog clam, glass sponge, killer whale, octopus, red sea urchin, immortal jellyfish
This episode is part of our series Ocean Wonders, where we dive beneath the waves to explore the mysteries of life underwater-everything from how sleep and the sense of smell work in the murky depths of the ocean to how animals build homes, survive sickness, and grow to some of the oldest, ripest ages on Earth.
Created by the Hakai Institute
Executive produced and written by Meigan Henry
Edited and narrated by Kristina Blanchflower
Videography by Grant Callegari, Tavish Campbell, Markus Thompson, and Bennett Whitnell
Additional footage provided by Storyblocks, Adobe Stock, Mikurashima Tourist Association, Ocean Exploration Trust, NOAA, Bangor University, E/V Nautilus, Dr. Sally Leys, and Ocean Networks Canada
Illustrations by Mercedes Minck
This publication is endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a Decade Activity. Use of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development logo by a non-UN entity does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations of such entity, its products or services, or of its planned activities. For more information please access: forum.oceandec...

[@user-wv4ug2eo2t]

That observation hypothesis would be the classic ecological explanation for r-selected verses K-selected species: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R/K_selection_theory

[@osmia]

I've already seen this. Did you have to re-upload for some reason?

[@HakaiVideos]

Yes, we updated it to fix a small error. Thanks for being a regular viewer! 😊