Record #00294Nature archive
Longest-Lived Vertebrate
The Greenland shark is the longest-lived known vertebrate. Radiocarbon dating of eye-lens proteins in a 2016 study estimated the age of a large female at about 392 years, with considerable uncertainty.
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Current Record
about392years
Current record value
- Holder
- Greenland shark
- Location
- —
- Start date
- 2016
- Record status
- Verified · currentReport an issue
Overview
Archive NoteGreenland sharks grow slowly in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic. Their cartilage lacks the rigid growth bands sometimes used to age other fish.
Scientists dated stable proteins in the sharks' eye lenses using radiocarbon. The largest specimen, about five metres long, had a central estimate of 392 years and a possible range from 272 to 512 years.
Record history
1 Milestones- about 392 yearsGreenland sharkCurrent Record
Sources
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