392 years and counting: Greenland Shark is oldest living vertebrate on Earth- Watch!

Image credit: Reuters

New Delhi: The freezing waters of the sub- Arctic ocean is the home of a mysterious and world's longest living vertebrate- Greenland shark!

Born about 392 years ago, this massive animal is about four to five meters in length. A team of researchers in Denmark found that the oldest carnivore grows at just 1cm a year, and attains sexual maturity at the age of 150.

It lacks bones and thus falls in the category of cartilaginous fish. In findings published in journal Science, the researchers used carbon dating method to track the massive lifespan of Greenland shark.

Although researchers have attained great success in estimating the age of the vertebrate but they still need to take a lot of additional research to completely unlock the mystery of shark's longer lifespan.

Watch the video to know more about the astonishing life of Greenland shark:

(Video credit: DW (English)