Talk about taking a long time to get through puberty: Scientists recently discovered that the Greenland Shark reaches maturity at 150 years old, and can live as long as 400 years.
Scientists used carbon dating to determine the shark’s age: They’re able to tell how old the fish is by measuring the carbon-14 and “its incorporation into the eye during development” that was the result of nuclear tests during the 1950s, according to the journal Science.
The Greenland Shark can grow up to be as long as 500 cm, or 16.4 feet, scientists found:
“Our results show that the Greenland shark is the longest-lived vertebrate known, and they raise concerns about species conservation.”
To learn more, check out the video below or read the journal article at sciencemag.org.
