𝗔 𝟰𝟬𝟬-𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸? 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱’𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲!

This shark was born before the Taj Mahal was built… and it’s still swimming today!

Yes, you read that right! Scientists discovered a Greenland shark, currently living in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, that could be over 400 years old — making it the world’s longest-living vertebrate.

Researchers used a unique method called radiocarbon dating on the shark’s eye lens proteins (which don’t change from birth) to estimate her age. They concluded she was likely born between 1501 and 1744, with most predictions placing her around 1620.

Measuring nearly 5 meters in length, this incredible female Greenland shark has outlived every known vertebrate, including the 211-year-old bowhead whale!

Greenland sharks are known for:
Growing extremely slowly (they mature at 150 years!)
Living for centuries in deep, cold waters
Giving us new insights into marine longevity and evolution

As climate change, overfishing, and pollution threaten marine life, stories like this remind us how precious and mysterious our oceans truly are.

Born before Shakespeare. Still alive today. The ocean holds more secrets than we can imagine.