THE LONGEST LIVING VERTEBRATE ON EARTH|最長壽脊椎動物 格陵蘭鯊可活400歲

The Greenland shark has stolen the crown as the longest-living vertebrate on Earth. Researchers estimated that they could live up to 400 years, nearly two centuries longer than the former vertebrate record-holder bowhead whales. A new study found that the Greenland Shark could live up to 400 years, breaking the longevity record for vertebrates. With 95 percent certainty, radiocarbon dating which analyzed the shark's eye lens indicated that the 28 sharks studied were aged between 272 and 512 years. The Greenland Shark's relatively long life span may be due to its extremely sluggish growth rate. It only grows about a centimeter a year. Moreover, female sharks do not reach sexual maturity until they are 134 years old. The Greenland Shark is among the largest of the carnivorous sharks, eating fish, marine mammals and carrion. They are slow swimmers and are nearly blind. They widely inhabit the deep sea and are abundant throughout the North Atlantic and the Arctic. Although some scientists questioned the dating analysis and the estimate of the shark's age, the Greenland Shark is still the longest-living vertebrate known on Earth. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH