Human beings have marked the world and claimed it as theirs over the past 700,000 years. However, the planet itself has existed for billions of years, and various creatures have populated its surface long before mankind even began to exist.
We are yet to uncover many of the mysteries that the past has buried deep within the earth. Yet, there are several stories and lessons that we do know already. There are creatures which did not only begin to exist before us, but have survived alongside us over the years. These creatures carry tales of evolution and survival in their bodies. They carry lessons for us to learn.
Recently, I discovered that the longest organism to exist is called a siphonophore. A siphonophore is a creature that lives in the deep sea and can stretch up to 150 feet in length. It is most closely related to the jellyfish species and has the appearance of a long, coiled rope. The most extraordinary characteristic of this creature is not its length, but rather the way in which it survives.