When it comes to the world's oldest pets, these animals gave their owners decades of love!
With proper care and good genes, pets can reach ages more than twice as long as their average life span. Of course, these pets also needed a little luck to have such long lifespans. From guinea pig to dog, you'll be impressed with the numbers, and there are even some Guinness World Record holders in their ranks.
Read on for some record-breaking pets throughout the years!
The Longest Living Pets Ever Recorded
1. Oldest Dog
Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, holds the record of the world's oldest dog. Bluey lived 29 years and 5 months! #DYK pic.twitter.com/YgRiWzWsmo
— Nourish Pet Care (@NourishPC) December 8, 2014
Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, lived to be 29 years old before being put to sleep in November 1939. Reportedly, his longevity-induced diet contained other Australian natives- kangaroo and emu.
The Guinness World Record for oldest living dog is currently held by Funny Fujimura, a miniature dachshund living in Osaka, Japan — Born on May 27, 1999, Funny was verified at 21 years old as of November 2020 to be the world record holder.
A dog breed's life span is relative to its size, upbringing and health problems that occur later in life, with smaller dogs often outliving larger ones. The average range is 10 to 13 years.
2. Oldest Cow
Big Bertha lived to a whopping 48 years, nine month old! Owned by Jerome O'Leary, her body remains on display on an Ireland farm.
3. Oldest Macaw
Look who I found at the Abbey Steam Fair. Apparently Winston Churchill's macaw is still alive at 112! pic.twitter.com/etd2MTYt0L
— Marcus Fysh MP (@MarcusFysh) May 3, 2015
Charlie, a blue and gold macaw, is among the most controversial old pets on the planet. Rumored to be over 114 years old, Charlie blows the average macaw lifespan of around 50 years out of the nest.
Legend has it that Charlie was originally Winston Churchill's companion. Though Churchill's daughter denies the claim, the bird could be heard screeching anti-Nazi propaganda at his home at a garden center in England.
What we know for sure: the world's oldest pet bird was Cookie, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo who was 82 years and 89 days old when he passed in 2016. This one's verified, so take Charlie's incredible story with a grain of salt...
4. Oldest Guinea Pig
Snowball lived to be just shy of 15 years old, more than double the average life expectancy of your run-in-the-mill caged guinea pig.
Love yourself a good guinea pig festival? The Festival of the Cuy in Peru takes place every October, where guinea pigs are celebrated — Unfortunately it's not because they're cute pets, but because they're one of the country's most popular and readily-consumed sources of meat.
5. Oldest Cat
The world record for cat age was captured by Creme Puff. She lived in Austin, Texas with her owner Jake Perry. In 2010, she was added to Guinness World Records: She died at the age of 38 years and 3 days. #petfacts #cat pic.twitter.com/5vxRbVAtW7
— Wet Noses Pet Sitting (@WetNosesPetSit) October 26, 2019
RELATED: 11 Affectionate Cat Breeds That Just Want to Cuddle
Creme Puff is the longest living cat on record, reaching 38 years old in Austin, Texas. Its owner, Jake Perry, also had the previous record holder Grandpa Rex Allen.
Perry is a cat man of epic proportions; About 1/3 of his indoor cats live to be 30 years old, in which they receive incredible care, including a special diet of dry commercial cat food, home-cooked breakfasts of eggs, turkey bacon, broccoli, coffee with cream, and about an eyedropper of red wine every two days.
6. Oldest Goldfish
Tish surprised everyone after coming home with his owner from a town fair and shattering records. He lived to be 43 years old and was also much larger than the normal goldfish.
7. Oldest Rabbit
Flopsy, a wild rabbit turned pet, was found nearly 19 years before he died in 1984 in Australia.
8. Oldest Chinchilla
Radar lived to the ripe old age of 29 years old. He was born in Germany but died in the USA.
9. Oldest Salamander
Two salamanders at the Artis Zoo in the Netherlands reached 52 years old. These two also takes home the trophy for world's oldest amphibian!
10. Oldest Horse
Horses are known to live a long time, with an average lifespan ranging from 20 to 25 years. Don't tell that to these old foals...
Old Billy died in November 1822, living to be 62 years old in England. Tango Duke was a thoroughbred race horse who lived to be 42 years of age; owner Carmen J. Koper raised the old horse in Australia. When it comes to horse twins, Taff and Griff are male Cremellos born in 1982 and are approaching their 40th birthday in the United Kingdom.
11. Oldest Chimpanzee
The oldest chimpanzee in captivity was believed to be Little Mama, who passed in 2017 at the estimated age of 77 at the Lion Country Safari. In 1972, famed Dr. Jane Goodall examined Little Mama, estimating her age around 32 at the time.
What Is The Oldest Animal in the World?
The title of oldest animal ever discovered goes to a 507-year-old quahog clam discovered by a British scientific team from Bangor University's School of Ocean Scientists. While the team dredged northern Iceland waters, they discovered this ocean quahog clam that proved to be more than four centuries old. In cutting through the shell the team killed the clam, but by counting its growth rings the team could determine the clam's stunning age, according to Reader's Digest.
When it comes to land animals, the oldest fossilized record humans have found were that of a centipede unearthed in Stonehaven, Scotland — That little critter is believed to have crawled ashore 428 million years ago!
How's that for "looking your age?!"
Celebrating your pet's birthday? Share the party with our Wide Open Pets Instagram!
This article was originally published September 29, 2019. It has since been updated with new information;
