Off-Beat-News
Sloth of the shark world centuries old─── 11:50 Sat, 13 Aug 2016
The Greenland shark, a big and slow-moving deep-ocean predator that prowls the frigid waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, can claim the distinction of being the planet's longest-living vertebrate, with a lifespan perhaps reaching about 400 years
Reuters reports that its extremely sluggish growth rate, about 1 cm per year, had already tipped off scientists that it lived a very long time.
Research published this week confirmed the theory with Danish marine biologist Julius Nielsen saying radiocarbon dating, which analyzed the shark's eye lens, found that the oldest of 28 sharks studied was likely about 392 years old, with 95 percent certainty of an age range between 272 and 512 years.
The Greenland shark, which grows up to 5.5 meters long, is among the largest carnivorous sharks.
Reuters
