This shark is estimated to be older than the United States of America itself
This shark is estimated to be older than the United States of America itself
Scientists found a group of Greenland sharks and estimated that some in the group are the oldest living vertebrate on the planet.
The sharks swim in the arctic waters of Greenland and researchers did a 2017 study on 28 of them. The oldest shark in the study was 16.5 feet (five meters) in length, and was estimated to be approximately 392 years old. They determined with “95 percent certainty” that the shark was between 272 and 512 years old, and it was most likely around 390.
The reason for their longevity isn’t fully known but the arctic temperatures (they swim in below 29 degree Fahrenheit), which can cause low body temperatures, and in turn means slow metabolism—and thus less damage to animals' tissues.
They also grow extremely slowly, less than half an inch (a centimeter) per year, suggesting a life span well beyond those of other vertebrates. In addition, the females have slow sexual maturity, which means they don’t start mating until they are 156 years old.
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