Marine biologists found a Greenland shark reaching 500 years in age, surpassing the previous record held by a 211-year-old bowhead whale.

OP: @mojo@aus.social

Marine biologists found a Greenland shark reaching 500 years in age, surpassing the previous record held by a 211-year-old bowhead whale.

Imagine discovering a creature that could be as old as 500 years, swimming in the depths of the ocean. This is exactly what you find with the Greenland shark, a species now recognized as the longest-lived vertebrate in the world.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    7·
    22 days ago

    For the study, the team examined 28 sharks that had died after being caught as by-catch in fishing nets. While there is some uncertainty in the age estimates, Nielsen stated that the most likely age for the oldest shark was about 390 years, with a 95 percent certainty range of 272 to 512 years.

    Christ.