<Li> Whales (Bowhead Whale) (Balaena mysticetus about 200 years) Although this idea was unproven for a time, recent research has indicated that bowhead whales recently killed still had harpoons in their bodies from about 1890, which, along with analysis of amino acids, has indicated a maximum life span, stated as "the 211 year - old bowhead could have been from 177 to 245 years old". </Li> <Li> Greenland Sharks are currently the vertebrate species with the longest known lifespan . An examination of 28 specimens in one study published in 2016 determined by radiocarbon dating that the oldest of the animals that they sampled had lived for about 392 ± 120 years (a minimum of 272 years and a maximum of 512 years). The authors further concluded that the species reaches sexual maturity at about 150 years of age . </Li> <P> Invertebrate species which continue to grow as long as they live (e.g., certain clams, some coral species) can on occasion live hundreds of years: </P> <Ul> <Li> A bivalve mollusc (Arctica islandica) (aka "Ming", lived 507 ± 2 years .) </Li> </Ul>

The upper boundary of the human life span seems to be around which age