Deep-Sea Black Coral

Deep-sea black corals (Leiopathes spp.) are among Earth's longest-living organisms, with some colonies exceeding 4,000 years old. These slow-growing anthozoans form tree-like structures in cold, dark ocean depths, their growth rings preserving millennia of marine climate data. Radiocarbon dating reveals their extraordinary longevity, with one Hawaiian specimen aged at 4,265 years - alive when Stonehenge was built. Their chitinous skeletons accumulate in layered chronologies, while living polyps at the tips continue feeding on ocean currents. These ancient organisms demonstrate nature's capacity for extreme longevity under stable deep-sea conditions, serving as living archives of oceanic history.