The Oldest Things On Earth (part 1)
Some of the Oldest Living Things on Earth (Plants and Animals)
(Spartan and the Green Egg Explorer Sticker: Methuselah Pine)
The Methuselah Pine—located in the White Mountains of California—is literally thousands of years old (around five thousand to be exact). The name “Methuselah” comes from the oldest figure in the Bible (it is said that he lived to the ripe old age of 969). “Methuselah Grove” (in the Inyo National Forest) was named after the infamous tree. To learn more about this amazing tree and one of the oldest living organisms on earth, collect Spartan and the Green Egg’s Methuselah Pine Explorer Sticker.
(The “Yareta”: 3,000 year old plant, amusingplanet.com)
The “Yareta” or “llareta”—found in the Andes Mountains—resemble enormous moss-covered rocks but are actually shrubs. These plants have been blooming for approximately 3,000 years. The Andes Mountains in South America is one of the longest chains of mountains in the world (spanning Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina). These truly magical mountains take up nearly one million square miles worth of space—that’s a lot of exploring! Collect your Spartan and the Green Egg Andes Mountain Explorer Sticker today!
(Spartan and the Green Egg Explorer Sticker: McMurdo Station)
(“Volcano” sponges of Antarctica, The Scientist Magazine)
One of the oldest living animals on Earth are the volcano sponges found in Antarctica. Known as “Anoxycalyx joubini,” these sponges resemble tiny volcanoes and are, of course, spongy and blob-like in appearance. They are thought to be around 15,000 years old and are found underwater around the McMurdo Sound. The McMurdo Sound is known for its icy waters and connects the Ross Sea with the Ross Ice Shelf cavity via the Haskell Strait. It is also known for the McMurdo Station, which is a research center found on the tip of Ross Island. This station is the largest community in Antarctica, is used for scientific research, and is home to hundreds of buildings (including a heliport, harbor, and several airfields). To learn more about this incredible place near where the 15,000-year-old sponges dwell, collect Spartan and the Green Egg’s McMurdo Station Explorer pins.
To learn more about the amazing and ancient living things in this blog and how to collect more Spartan and the Green Egg Travel Stickers, visit Spartanandthegreenegg.com.
For more information on these incredible discoveries, consult the websites below:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/gallery/oldest-living-animals-plants/index.html
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/andes-mountains/
http://preview.stage3.next.cnn.com/travel/article/oldest-living-things/index.html?gallery=5
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/methuselah-pine/
https://www.spartanandthegreenegg.com/product/mcmurdo-station/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Methuselah
http://preview.stage3.next.cnn.com/travel/article/oldest-living-things/index.html?gallery=7
https://www.britannica.com/place/McMurdo-Sound
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/05/yareta-3000-years-old-plant.html
https://www.the-scientist.com/notebook-old/icy-treasure-44510
