Michigan’s Oldest Living Thing Has Been Alive For 1,500 Years!

Michigan has been a state since January 26th, 1837 which most people would agree is a long time.

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But long before then several of the oldest living things in the world were found right here in Michigan.

Michigan's Oldest Living Things

Michigan's oldest animal is the lake sturgeon, which can live for over 100 years and has roots dating back 200 million years.

These fish can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds.

Michigan is also home to some of the oldest trees in the world, including the "Adams Oak" in Bloomfield Hills, which is estimated to be over 500 years old.

Those are both pretty old but nowhere close to the oldest living thing in Michigan.

Michigan's Oldest Living Thing Has Been Alive For 1,500 Years!

The oldest living thing in Michigan is neither a tree nor a fish.

The oldest living organism in Michigan is a fungus known as the Armillaria gallica colony, which covers 37 acres of subterranean and forest-floor space near the city of Crystal Falls in the Upper Peninsula.

Researchers say it's about the same size as the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The fungus is estimated to be over 1,500 years old and is known locally as the "humongous fungus".

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