Photo: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program · Public domain
272+ yrs
Greenland sharks can live for at least 272 years, possibly much longer.
4 min readLast updated
The short answer
Yes. A 2016 study estimated that Greenland sharks live at least 272 years, and the largest shark studied may have been around 392 years old, give or take 120 years. They are the longest lived vertebrates known.
Why it's true
Greenland sharks live in the cold, deep waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic. They grow incredibly slowly, perhaps about a centimeter a year, and can reach more than five meters long. Slow growth in cold water is linked to slow metabolism and long life.
To estimate their age, researchers used radiocarbon dating on the lenses of their eyes, which form before birth and do not change afterward. Atomic bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s left a carbon signature that helped calibrate the dates. The study, published in Science in 2016, concluded the sharks reach maturity at around 150 years old.
Some Greenland sharks swimming today may have been born before the United States existed.
By the numbers
272+ yrs
Minimum estimated lifespan
~392 ± 120 yrs
Age estimate for largest shark
~150 yrs
Estimated age at maturity
2016
Study published in Science
How we know
Most fish can be aged by counting growth rings in bones or ear stones, but Greenland sharks lack those hard calcified parts. A team led by Julius Nielsen at the University of Copenhagen found a solution in the eye lens, whose core is made of proteins laid down before birth.
They studied 28 female sharks caught as bycatch. The smallest sharks carried the bomb pulse carbon signature, showing they were born after the 1960s. Comparing larger sharks' lens carbon with growth models gave age estimates for the rest. The uncertainty is wide, but even the lower limit of 272 years beats any other vertebrate.
The bomb pulse
Nuclear tests in the mid twentieth century nearly doubled the radioactive carbon in the atmosphere, which entered the ocean food chain.
Animals born after the tests carry this signal, giving scientists a time marker to calibrate age estimates across many species.
Worth remembering
- Greenland sharks live at least 272 years.
- Scientists dated them using eye lens carbon.
- They mature at around 150 years old.
In context
Other animals live long lives too. Bowhead whales can live over 200 years, giant tortoises over 150, and an ocean quahog clam named Ming was found to be 507 years old. But among vertebrates, Greenland sharks hold the record.
Living a long time and maturing late makes species vulnerable. If Greenland sharks are caught before they reproduce, populations recover very slowly. They are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, partly due to bycatch in fisheries.
Scientists hope studying them could reveal secrets of aging, such as how their cells avoid damage over centuries.
A closer look
Slow swimmers
Greenland sharks cruise at under 3 kilometers per hour, making them among the slowest fish for their size.
Yet seal remains found in their stomachs suggest they may ambush sleeping seals.
Toxic meat
Their flesh contains a chemical that can make people ill if eaten fresh.
In Iceland, it is fermented and dried to make a traditional dish called hákarl.
Parasites in their eyes
Many Greenland sharks carry small parasites attached to their eyes, which can damage vision.
In the dark deep sea, they likely rely more on smell than sight.
Related facts
Sharks are ancient in more ways than one sharks are older than trees.
Another ocean record holder the blue whale is the largest animal ever.
For other extreme survivors tardigrades can survive space.
More strange life in the sea jellyfish have no brain.
Key terms
- Radiocarbon dating
- Measuring carbon 14 to estimate the age of organic material.
- Bomb pulse
- The spike in atmospheric carbon 14 from nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Bycatch
- Animals caught unintentionally while fishing for other species.
Myth vs reality
Myth
The age of a fish can always be read from rings like a tree.
Reality
Greenland sharks lack hard structures with rings, so scientists used eye lens carbon dating instead.
People also ask
How long do Greenland sharks live?
At least 272 years, according to a 2016 study. The oldest shark studied may have been around 392 years old, with an uncertainty of about 120 years.
How did scientists age Greenland sharks?
By radiocarbon dating the eye lens core, which forms before birth and stays unchanged throughout life.
When do Greenland sharks reach maturity?
Around 150 years old, according to the study, which is extraordinarily late.
Where do Greenland sharks live?
In cold, deep waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, often near Greenland, Iceland and Norway.
Are Greenland sharks dangerous?
There are no confirmed attacks on humans. They are slow swimmers that feed on fish, seals and carrion.
