The female shark lives in the Atlantic Ocean and with its 4 centuries of age is the oldest living vertebrate on the planet
A specimen female shark has set a new longevity record: at 400 years old, it is the oldest living vertebrate on the planet.
Although it was already known that sharks live long, until now it was not known precisely what age these animals could reach and that of this specimen is truly incredible: the shark, which lives in Greenland, was born at the time of the reign of James I and it has survived wars and revolutions for well four centuries.
“Biologists have been trying to determine the age and longevity of Greenland sharks for decades, but without success.
"Given that these animals are the top predators of the food chain in Arctic waters, it's amazing that we don't know if the shark lives for 20 or 1000 years," explained Steven Campana, a shark expert at the University of Iceland.
determine the life span of sharks, a group of researchers carried out tests to look for carbon-14 in animal tissues. In the 50s, in fact, some experiments carried out with atomic bombs increased the levels of carbon-14 in the atmosphere. The carbon isotope entered the marine food chain throughout the Atlantic Ocean since the 60s. By searching for carbon-14 in proteins present in the lens of shark eyes, it was possible trace the approximate age of the animals.
Although this technique is not accurate enough to guarantee the exact dates of birth, it has nevertheless allowed us to trace the approximate age of the sharks and to establish how long these animals can live.
According to the researchers, it is incredible that a shark can reach an age of 400 years: the centuries-old specimen is certainly among the oldest animals in the world, even if the official record for the longest-lived animal in the world is Ming, an Icelandic clam that managed to live for 507 years.
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Tatiana Maselli
Photo credit: Science
