Longest surviving species, all the way from Prehistorics

Dating back over 3.5 billion years, cyanobacteria are among the oldest known life forms and were responsible for oxygenating Earth's atmosphere during the Great Oxidation Event.

This brachiopod genus has existed since the Cambrian period over 500 million years ago, showing remarkably little morphological change.

Often called a 'living fossil,' the nautilus lineage dates back around 500 million years, retaining its distinctive spiral shell and primitive features.

With ancestors appearing over 450 million years ago, horseshoe crabs have survived multiple mass extinctions with minimal evolutionary change.

Once thought extinct, coelacanths have existed for about 400 million years, preserving ancient lobe-finned fish characteristics.

The sole surviving species of its group, Ginkgo biloba traces its lineage back over 270 million years to the Permian period.

Known as the tadpole shrimp, this species closely resembles fossils from more than 200 million years ago, earning its 'living fossil' status.

Native to New Zealand, the tuatara is the only surviving member of an order that flourished around 200 million years ago.

Modern crocodiles descend from archosaurs that appeared over 200 million years ago, maintaining many prehistoric traits.

Jellyfish lineages date back at least 500 million years, making them among the earliest complex multicellular animals still inhabiting the oceans.