Dang. They estimate the Greenland shark can live to 400 years.
The oldest of the Greenland sharks examined was nearly 16.5 feet long (5 meters) and estimated to be 392 years old when it was caught around four years ago. But that calculation comes with a huge margin of error — plus or minus 120 years — due to the newness of the dating technique, said Nielsen, a marine biologist at the University of Copenhagen.
That means the shark was probably born sometime between 1500 and 1740 with the most likely birth year 1620.
"It's an estimate. It's not a determination," Nielsen said. "It is the best we can do."
Even at the lowest end of the margin error, the shark would have been 272 years old when it died, and still would be the longest-living animal with a backbone, Nielsen said. Other experts agreed.
More here:
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016...lived-for-up-to-400-years-scientists-say.html
The oldest of the Greenland sharks examined was nearly 16.5 feet long (5 meters) and estimated to be 392 years old when it was caught around four years ago. But that calculation comes with a huge margin of error — plus or minus 120 years — due to the newness of the dating technique, said Nielsen, a marine biologist at the University of Copenhagen.
That means the shark was probably born sometime between 1500 and 1740 with the most likely birth year 1620.
"It's an estimate. It's not a determination," Nielsen said. "It is the best we can do."
Even at the lowest end of the margin error, the shark would have been 272 years old when it died, and still would be the longest-living animal with a backbone, Nielsen said. Other experts agreed.
More here:
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016...lived-for-up-to-400-years-scientists-say.html