How old can Greenland sharks get?

Greenland sharks can live for centuries. Scientists dated eye-lens proteins that form before birth; the largest shark studied was estimated at 272 to 512 years old. Even at the low end, that makes it the longest-lived known vertebrate.

What's actually true

Greenland sharks can live for more than 250 years. Scientists aged Greenland sharks by carbon-dating proteins in their eye lenses that form before birth and never change. The largest shark studied was estimated at 272 to 512 years old. Even at the low end, that makes it the longest-lived animal with a backbone. They grow less than a centimeter per year.

Takeaway: Some sharks swimming today were likely born before the United States existed.

Why people believe it

This is a case where the truth was underestimated, not exaggerated. Most people's sense of 'old' comes from animals they know, such as dogs, horses and humans, and tortoises are the usual record holders in trivia. Greenland sharks live in deep, cold Arctic water where few people ever see one, and they grow less than a centimetre a year, so for a long time nobody had a reliable way to age them.

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