Scientists Discover 512-Year-Old Shark, Which Would Be The Oldest Living Vertebrate On The Planet
Previously, scientists used the size of the animal to determine their length. Sharks of the same ‘Somniosidae’ family, usually grow about 0.4 inches per year. While this method can give a rough estimate of a shark’s age, it’s by no means scientifically accurate, especially once a certain maturity has been reached.
“Fish biologists have tried to determine the age and longevity of Greenland sharks for decades, but without success. Given that this shark is the apex predator (king of the food chain) in Arctic waters, it is almost unbelievable that we didn’t know whether the shark lives for 20 years, or for 1,000 years,” expert Steven Campana from the University of Iceland stated.
Nielsen has been doing research on Greenland sharks for almost his entire academic career. The animals are known to eat rotting polar bear carcasses, of which the scientist shared a picture earlier. He also says that the species very frequently have to deal with pesky parasites that latch to their eyes, which is why the eyes usually don’t look that healthy.
Because these sharks tend to live hundreds of years, they usually don’t stick around in the same spot forever. Sharks from all over the world were studied, but genetic results of practically all of them were similar, suggesting they all originated from one place and then migrated. The reproduction of Greenland sharks is still somewhat of a mystery, although the scientists do know that the cold water of the Arctic is a preferred place for them stay.
“Fish biologists have tried to determine the age and longevity of Greenland sharks for decades, but without success. Given that this shark is the apex predator (king of the food chain) in Arctic waters, it is almost unbelievable that we didn’t know whether the shark lives for 20 years, or for 1,000 years,” expert Steven Campana from the University of Iceland stated.
Nielsen has been doing research on Greenland sharks for almost his entire academic career. The animals are known to eat rotting polar bear carcasses, of which the scientist shared a picture earlier. He also says that the species very frequently have to deal with pesky parasites that latch to their eyes, which is why the eyes usually don’t look that healthy.
Because these sharks tend to live hundreds of years, they usually don’t stick around in the same spot forever. Sharks from all over the world were studied, but genetic results of practically all of them were similar, suggesting they all originated from one place and then migrated. The reproduction of Greenland sharks is still somewhat of a mystery, although the scientists do know that the cold water of the Arctic is a preferred place for them stay.
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05 March 2024
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