No, Scientists Haven't Found a 512-Year-Old Greenland Shark

[Judi Lynn]

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | December 14, 2017 07:50pm ET

Headlines circulating on the internet today (Dec. 14) breathlessly described the discovery of a 512-year-old shark — but they're a little off the mark.

The creature in question — a Greenland shark — does, in fact, live to be several centuries old, according to a study that was published in August 2016 in the journal Science, and which was referenced in the news coverage.

But the researchers' analysis of 28 female Greenland sharks did not identify one of them as over 500 years old. Eye tissue analysis suggested that the sharks could potentially be as old as 512, according to the study. However, the two biggest sharks examined — and likely the oldest — were estimated to be 335 and 392 years old, respectively, Live Science previously reported. [Extreme Life on Earth: 8 Bizarre Creatures]

Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are native to the Arctic and North Atlantic, and can grow to be up to 24 feet (7 meters) long and weigh up to 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms), according to the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group (GEERG). They are slow-moving fish, cruising at about 1 foot per second (0.3 meters/second), and reaching depths of 9,101 feet (2,774 m), GEERG reported.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/61210-shark-not-512-years-old.html?utm_source=notification

[marble falls]

1. "Only" 335 and 392 years old. meh. Mere teenagers.

[getting old in mke]

2. I think the most impressive thing is

"and reaching depths of 9,101 feet (2,774 m)"

That would mean they withstand an environment with 276 atmospheres of pressure.