Move Over Tortoises!: Sharks take Record for Longest Lifespan
science·@herpetologyguy·
0.000 HBDMove Over Tortoises!: Sharks take Record for Longest Lifespan
<html> <p>Galapagos tortoises were long believed to be the oldest living vertebrates on the planet, living up to 150-200 years of age. These slow moving giants are well known world-wide and some are so old that they were around even during the time of the civil war. But when science turned its eye to the sea, older organisms claimed that title. The bowhead whale became the new record holder when they discovered a specimen that was 211 years old, and researchers were unsure anything would be able to surpass it. But earlier this year, scientists found an animal that had shattered the old record. </p> <p><strong>The Greenland Shark </strong></p> <p>http://boredomfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/3-greenland-shark1.jpg <a href="http://boredomfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/3-greenland-shark1.jpg">Photo</a> and <a href="http://boredomtherapy.com/greenland-shark/">Credit</a></p> <p>In a recent study, scientists used radiocarbon dating to determine the ages of 28 Greenland sharks (most had been caught as fishing by-catch). They were shocked to discover that the oldest, a large female, was estimated to be around 400 years old!</p> <p>http://www.sciencemag.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_medium/public/images/cc_A7KMRA_16x9.jpg?itok=axYHovog&timestamp=1470927810 <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_medium/public/images/cc_A7KMRA_16x9.jpg?itok=axYHovog&timestamp=1470927810">Photo</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/greenland-shark-may-live-400-years-smashing-longevity-record">Credit</a></p> <p>Prior to the study, the researchers knew the sharks had to live quite a long time. These animals grow up to 5 meters, but reportedly only grew about 1 centimeter a year, suggesting that it took quite some time for them to reach their immense size. And even more surprisingly, they discovered that these sharks didn’t reach sexual maturity until they were around 150 years old! </p> <p>http://planetsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/image1.jpg <a href="http://planetsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/image1.jpg">Photo</a> and <a href="http://planetsave.com/2013/06/02/greenland-shark-eats-a-polar-bear-sleeper-shark-facts-lifespan-diet-and-video/">Credit</a></p> <p>While most sharks can be aged by examining calcified tissues on their spines, the Greenland shark posed a challenge because it is a very soft-bodied shark. Luckily, the team was able to figure out a clever way for radiocarbon dating the animals. </p> <blockquote>"The Greenland shark's eye lens is composed of a specialised material - and it contains proteins that are metabolically inert, which means after the proteins have been synthesised in the body, they are not renewed any more. So we can isolate the tissue that formed when the shark was a pup, and do radiocarbon dating." -Julius Nielsen, Lead Author and Marine Biologist of University of Copenhagen. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37047168">Source </a> </blockquote> <p>So what does this study mean for the future of these sharks? Well, their age of maturity elicits some worries for their future conservation. Greenland sharks are still recovering from being overfished prior to World War II. Their livers, once prized for lamp oil, caused them to be overhunted until a synthetic product was made and demand fell. </p> <p>http://www.fiskeri.no/english/GreenlandShark2.jpg <a href="http://www.fiskeri.no/english/GreenlandShark2.jpg">Photo</a> and <a href="http://www.fiskeri.no/english/Greenland%20Shark.htm">Credit</a></p> <blockquote>"When you evaluate the size distribution all over the North Atlantic, it is quite rare that you see sexually mature females, and quite rare that you find newborn pups or juveniles. It seems most are sub-adults. That makes sense: if you have had this very high fishing pressure, all the old animals - they are not there any more. And there are not that many to give birth to new ones. There is, though, still a very large amount of 'teenagers', but it will take another 100 years for them to become sexually active." - Julius Nielsen. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37047168">Source</a></blockquote> <p>Greenland sharks live a leisurely paced life throughout the cold, deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Their slow metabolism allows them to live far longer than previously thought possible, making them older than almost any other animals on the planet. The Greenland shark is second only to one animal when invertebrates are included in the running: a 507-year-old clam named Ming.</p> <p>http://cdn-02.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article29760380.ece/3fb2e/AUTOCROP/w620/clam.jpg <a href="http://cdn-02.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article29760380.ece/3fb2e/AUTOCROP/w620/clam.jpg">Photo</a> and <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/worlds-oldest-animal-ming-the-clam-killed-at-507-years-old-by-scientists-trying-to-tell-how-old-it-was-29760381.html">Credit</a></p> </html>
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