Scientists Discover 512-Year-Old Shark, Which Would Be The Oldest Living Vertebrate On The Planet (Pics & Video)

Even though over half a millennium seems like a crazy amount of time, Greenland sharks actually tend to outlive most other animals because they are a very slow-growing species. These sharks generally reach a mature age at 150 years old, and some reports have shown that some sharks have lived for almost 400 years. This new discovery of a 512-year-old definitely breaks a record. 512 years would put the birth date of this shark at 1505, older than Shakespeare. The discovery was detailed in a research study published in the journal Science. Marine biologist Julius Nielsen and his team used a technique to measure the amount of radiocarbon in the eye lenses of Greenland sharks, revealing the possible age of this senior animal.