Scientists Discover the Oldest Living Shark on Earth

According to experts, the world’s oldest vertebrate could be up to 512 years old, which means it was born before Shakespeare and right around the time of Columbus.

Greenland sharks, also known as gurry sharks or grey sharks, live for hundreds of years, thanks to deep icy waters and their slow metabolism. To determine the age of the shark, scientists used radiocarbon dating — they measured the level of radiocarbon in the lenses of their eyes.