Scientists Discover 512-year-old Shark

A few months ago, a group of scientists discovered an ancient shark in the North Atlantic Ocean. Although they knew that the animal had reached an advanced age, they didn’t realize until recently that the shark is about 512 years old.

Even though more than half a millennium seems like a long time, Greenland sharks live longer than other animals, since they are a very slow growth species. These sharks usually reach a mature age at age 150. So this new breakthrough definitely hits a record.

“This creature is extraordinary and must be considered among the oldest animals in the world,” said marine biologist Julius Nielsen. Research suggests that Greenland sharks can live much longer than the professors and scientists initially thought.

The sharks in question tend to live hundreds of years and usually do not stay in the same place forever.

Sharks from all over the world have been studied

The genetic results were similar, suggesting that they all originated from one place and then migrated. Reproduction of Greenland sharks is still a mystery, although scientists know that Arctic cold water is their favorite place.

In further research, scientists now want to find out why the Greenland shark lives much more than other vertebrates.

When researcher, Steven Campana, was asked how this shark can reach an age of more than 500 years, he pointed out that cold water combined with a slow metabolism would be responsible. However, Campana also admits that more research is needed and that this explanation is just a theory.

“The answer probably has to do with a very slow metabolism and the cold waters they inhabit. I’m just the messenger about it. I have no idea.”

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