# Slowest developing animals

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 16, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333 "2017-01-16T20:22:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/1 "2017-01-16T20:22:03Z")

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A human takes an incredibly long amount of time between birth and sexual maturity and/or full growth. Besides humans what animal takes the longest to become an adult?

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/2 "2017-01-16T20:22:50Z")

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The 17-year cicada takes even longer to sexual maturity.

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/3 "2017-01-16T21:52:23Z")

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I doubt anything will beat the Greenland Shark[at 150 years](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/11/400-year-old-greenland-shark-is-the-oldest-vertebrate-animal).

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**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/4 "2017-01-17T02:03:10Z")

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It has necessitated nearly 43 years for me to attain my wife’s sexual requirements… I may not be through yet.

The 17 year cicada has nothing on _ **us** _.

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**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/5 "2017-01-17T05:51:11Z")

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The elephant. Born after a 22 month gestation. Reaches adolescence and sexual maturity in its early teens, as humans do, but only starts to mate in adulthood, around ages 18-20.

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/6 "2017-01-17T06:05:25Z")

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Ever wondered why you don’t see orange roughy all that much in grocery stores and restaurants any more? Because they can take as long as 30 years to reach sexual maturity.

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**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slowest-developing-animals/777333/7 "2017-01-18T16:42:39Z")

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For reptiles, it’s the tuatara.

[QUOTE=Wikipedia]  
Tuatara probably have the slowest growth rates of any reptile, continuing to grow larger for the first 35 years of their lives.  
[/QUOTE]