Greenland sharks can live for around 400 years, longer than any other vertebrate.
A 2016 study dated the eye lenses of Greenland sharks with radiocarbon and estimated that the largest female was roughly 390 years old. Some sharks swimming today were probably born before the year 1700.
Why is this true?
They live in near-freezing Arctic water and grow only about a centimetre a year. A slow metabolism and slow growth stretch every stage of their life, and females may not reach maturity until around 150.
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