400 years old #shark.
Imagine the stories she could tell!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMMkbuWN64U/?igsh=Z2dxNng3NDUybGF3
InstagramHashem Al-Ghaili sur Instagram: "This shark was alive when Shakespeare walked the Earth. Greenland sharks grow so slowly, they don’t reach maturity until 150.
And they regularly live for centuries.
In the icy depths of the North Atlantic swims the world’s longest-living vertebrate: the Greenland shark.
Scientists have determined that one female, measuring 5 meters in length, was likely around 400 years old—possibly even older.
Using a unique radiocarbon dating method on the proteins in the sharks’ eye lenses, which remain unchanged from birth, researchers concluded she was born between 1501 and 1744. This remarkable lifespan means Greenland sharks outlive all known vertebrates, surpassing even the previous record-holder, the 211-year-old bowhead whale.
Greenland sharks grow slowly—just 1 cm per year—and don’t reach sexual maturity until around age 150. Their extreme longevity raises major conservation concerns, especially as their population still reels from overfishing that peaked before World War II. Once harvested heavily for their oil-rich livers, today they are rarely seen as fully mature adults. Scientists say most Greenland sharks alive now are “teenagers,” and it could take a century for them to repopulate. Their unique life cycle highlights not only nature’s marvels but also the long-lasting impact of human activity on marine ecosystems.
Source: Morelle, R. (2016, August 12). 400-year-old Greenland shark ‘longest-living vertebrate’. BBC
images via Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut & Julius Nielsen/ Natural History Museum of Denmark (University of Copenhagen)"59K likes, 417 comments - hashem.alghaili le July 16, 2025: "This shark was alive when Shakespeare walked the Earth. Greenland sharks grow so slowly, they don’t reach maturity until 150.
And they regularly live for centuries.
In the icy depths of the North Atlantic swims the world’s longest-living vertebrate: the Greenland shark.
Scientists have determined that one female, measuring 5 meters in length, was likely around 400 years old—possibly even older.
Using a unique radiocarbon dating method on the proteins in the sharks’ eye lenses, which remain unchanged from birth, researchers concluded she was born between 1501 and 1744. This remarkable lifespan means Greenland sharks outlive all known vertebrates, surpassing even the previous record-holder, the 211-year-old bowhead whale.
Greenland sharks grow slowly—just 1 cm per year—and don’t reach sexual maturity until around age 150. Their extreme longevity raises major conservation concerns, especially as their population still reels from overfishing that peaked before World War II. Once harvested heavily for their oil-rich livers, today they are rarely seen as fully mature adults. Scientists say most Greenland sharks alive now are “teenagers,” and it could take a century for them to repopulate. Their unique life cycle highlights not only nature’s marvels but also the long-lasting impact of human activity on marine ecosystems.
Source: Morelle, R. (2016, August 12). 400-year-old Greenland shark ‘longest-living vertebrate’. BBC
images via Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut & Julius Nielsen/ Natural History Museum of Denmark (University of Copenhagen)".
If you are looking for something very pink to fluff up your day, I still have the previous really fluffy one left as well so it's three sharks looking for a new home!
