Greenland Shark Has Looooooong Time To Wait To Have Sex
Aug 11, 2016 15:17:41 GMT -8
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Post by RumiDude on Aug 11, 2016 15:17:41 GMT -8
"We only expected that the sharks might be very old," says Nielsen. "But we did not know in advance. And it was, of course, a very big surprise to learn that it was actually the oldest vertebrate animal."
He and some colleagues obtained 28 female Greenland sharks taken by research vessels as unintended bycatch from 2010 to 2013. The researchers then used radiocarbon dating techniques on the lenses of the sharks' eyes.
There's a bit of uncertainty associated with the age estimates, but Nielsen says the most likely age for the oldest shark they found was about 390 years. "It was, with 95 percent certainty, between 272 and 512 years old," he says. The researchers believe these sharks reach sexual maturity at about the age of 150 years.
Talk About An Ancient Mariner! Greenland Shark Is At Least 272 Years Old Some interesting stuff.
He and some colleagues obtained 28 female Greenland sharks taken by research vessels as unintended bycatch from 2010 to 2013. The researchers then used radiocarbon dating techniques on the lenses of the sharks' eyes.
There's a bit of uncertainty associated with the age estimates, but Nielsen says the most likely age for the oldest shark they found was about 390 years. "It was, with 95 percent certainty, between 272 and 512 years old," he says. The researchers believe these sharks reach sexual maturity at about the age of 150 years.
Talk About An Ancient Mariner! Greenland Shark Is At Least 272 Years Old Some interesting stuff.