OP: @[email protected]

Marine biologists found a Greenland shark reaching 500 years in age, surpassing the previous record held by a 211-year-old bowhead whale.

Imagine discovering a creature that could be as old as 500 years, swimming in the depths of the ocean. This is exactly what you find with the Greenland shark, a species now recognized as the longest-lived vertebrate in the world.

  • @TriflingToad
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    75 days ago

    I don’t think anyone understands how long ago 500 years is, myself included.

    this shark is so damn old it was around before the √ symbol.
    This shark is so old it predates the discovery of the grand canyon.
    Its so old graphite Pencils didn’t even exist
    The EARTH ORBING THE SUN WASNT DISCOVERED YET.

    • @[email protected]
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      54 days ago

      Funny you should say that last part. The shark’s estimated age is 392 years (500+ is an upper estimate) which would mean it was born in 1632, the same year that Galileo disproved the earth orbiting the sun.

  • Optional
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    75 days ago

    For the study, the team examined 28 sharks that had died after being caught as by-catch in fishing nets. While there is some uncertainty in the age estimates, Nielsen stated that the most likely age for the oldest shark was about 390 years, with a 95 percent certainty range of 272 to 512 years.

    Christ.

  • Coelacanth
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    55 days ago

    That’s so fucking cool. Imagine interacting with a creature that could have been spotted by Christopher Columbus.

    • flicker
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      24 days ago

      Just typed in a random date to get past the age verification and see the porn.