According to experts, a shark found in the Arctic Ocean is thought to be the ‘longest-living’ shark, having been alive since 1627.
In 2016, scientists started researching Greenland sharks, which are considered to be the longest-living vertebrates on Earth. Researchers discovered a shark that has been navigating the same waters for centuries. How did they manage to uncover such a finding?
They employed a technique called radiocarbon dating to determine the ages of the 28 sharks under study.
This led to the remarkable discovery that one female shark in the group was approximately 400 years old.
Julius Nielsen, a marine biologist from the University of Copenhagen and lead author of the study, noted, “We had our expectations that we were dealing with an unusual animal, but I think everyone doing this research was very surprised to learn the sharks were as old as they were.”
Previously, determining the age of Greenland sharks seemed impossible, as researchers typically rely on the growth layers in the bones of other sharks like the Great White.
Nielsen explained to the BBC, “But the Greenland shark is a very, very soft shark – it has no hard body parts where growth layers are deposited. So it was believed that the age could not be investigated.”
However, the team found an innovative approach to estimate the shark’s age.
Discussing the technique, Nielsen said, “The Greenland shark’s eye lens is composed of a specialised material – and it contains proteins that are metabolically inert.”
He elaborated, “Which means after the proteins have been synthesised in the body, they are not renewed any more. So we can isolate the tissue that formed when the shark was a pup, and do radiocarbon dating.”
Although radiocarbon dating does not yield precise dates, the oldest estimates still classify the shark as extraordinarily ancient.
Nielsen continued, “Even with the lowest part of this uncertainty, 272 years, even if that is the maximum age, it should still be considered the longest-living vertebrate.”
The shark’s impressive longevity has made waves on Reddit, sparking some humorous comments.
“That guy has no idea how much stuff has happened on land since 1627. It’s a TON of stuff,” one Reddit user joked.
“Bro looks tired af,” another added, with a third commenting, “Can’t believe I feel bad for a shark. Imagine humans would not die we would go insane lol.”