24/11/2025
She has been gliding through the dark, icy depths since the age of wooden ships and candlelight, a living witness to centuries of human history.
A female Greenland shark was discovered to be nearly 400 years old, making her the longest-living vertebrate ever recorded. According to a study published in Science, researchers used radiocarbon dating of eye lens proteins to estimate the ages of 28 Greenland sharks, and one female was found to be around 392 years old, likely born in the early 1600s. That means she was already swimming in the North Atlantic long before electricity, cars, or modern nations existed.
Greenland sharks grow very slowly, about one centimeter per year, and can reach lengths of over five meters. According to the BBC, their slow metabolism and cold-water habitat contribute to their extraordinary lifespan. These sharks live in deep, icy waters and are rarely seen, which makes studying them a challenge. The discovery has sparked interest in their biology, especially in understanding aging and longevity.
Disclaimer: Image was generated using AI and is intended for illustration purposes only.
