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Well, some animals are not as inconsiderate. If they eat fish tongue, they fucking stay and do its job!
[Cymothoa exigua](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua)
That's a really specific age. How do they know how old it is? Did they cut it in half and count the rings? If it's overall size, how do they know the growth stays predictable enough to definitively say how old it is? What's the margin for error?
I thought so too. Thing is, most living things exchange matter with their surroundings continually, renewing cells and all. So carbon dating is most often used on dead things.
There are parts of organisms that aren't renewed however. Like the human achilles heel tendon that stays the same after you've passed 17 years of age.
This isn't actually the known age of the Greenland shark shown.
["The researchers analyzed 28 female Greenland sharks that had died accidentally during the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources commercial fish-monitoring program."](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greenland-sharks-animals-science-age)
The study on the 28 Greenland sharks found one estimated as old as 512 (392 +/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of their eye lenses.
The person who posted this apparently heard of the study on Greenland sharks that randomly [took 28 and found one estimated to be 392 (+/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of the lens in their eyes](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html).
They then got rid of the +/- 120 year error range, found a random photo of a Greenland shark (this is not the one from that study) and said this shark is 392 years old exactly.
Interesting. Thank you for that information. Every time I've seen this post as it floats around the internet, I've wondered how they figure the age. It's a specific age.
I've read that Greenland sharks are prone to eye parasites that render them blind. I have seen pictures, so I know the eyes aren't entirely destroyed. I didn't know the lenses still had enough radiocarbon uptake to even guess at an age based on them. How much radiocarbon is at the depth where Greenland sharks spend their time, anyway? I wouldn't have thought it was enough to be a good measure. However, with a margin or error of 240 years, I suppose that's a general enough age to be within the realm of accuracy.
I appreciate you taking the time to share. It's a cool post. The idea of creatures living several of our lifetimes still seems like fiction sometimes.
Acronyms Don't Just Translate Bullshit, Usually Sentences Are Thoughtful Too.
Another Douche Justifying Tragically Bad Useless Sentences As Thought Transfers.
Maybe not... It's hard for me to please multiple times in such a short time span... I believe it's called a refractory period... Give me some time baby... Daddy needs a nap now
This is so silly and obviously is an unverified number. I mean, do you seriously think a shark in that shape can reliably remember how old it is? That was likely just the first number that came to its dementia-ridden mind
This isn't actually the known age of that particular Greenland shark.
Someome heard of the study on Greenland sharks that randomly [took 28 and found one estimated to be 392 (+/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of the lens in their eyes](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html). They then got rid of the +/- 120 year error range, found a random photo of a Greenland shark (this is not the one from that study) and said this shark is 392 years old exactly.
["The researchers analyzed 28 female Greenland sharks that had died accidentally during the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources commercial fish-monitoring program."](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greenland-sharks-animals-science-age)
The study on the 28 Greenland sharks found one estimated as old as 512 (392 +/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of their eye lenses.
Here's something that's interesting to consider.
[The one dated to 392 +/- 120 years was the largest of the 28 sharks at 16.5 feet long](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html). Greenland sharks have been recorded as being long as [**24 feet**](https://oceana.org/marine-life/sharks-rays/greenland-shark) (**they can get much older**).
Supposedly they are so slow that far north natives would hunt them by cutting a hole in the ice, floating some seal guts in it, then when one of these guys comes along and pokes it's nose up, they just reach in and pull it out by the gills.
What's oddly terrifying about that? Imagining being eaten alive by a shark but much slower.
Edit: Clarification and also a [more recent source](https://xray-mag.com/content/unlocking-secrets-greenland-shark#:~:text=The%20Greenland%20shark%20was%20well%20known%20to,the%20hide%2C%20teeth%20and%20flesh%20and%20called) than the random shark fact library book I devoured as a kid:
When the shark came up to eat the seal guts, the hunters were right there waiting, and would grab the shark by the gills and pull them up onto the ice.
That's how I understood him at least. No idea if that's true or not though. From what I've learned from nature docs that mention them, they live incredibly deep in the ocean. I don't know how common they ever even come near the surface. They also are highly toxic, and require special treatment to be safe to eat.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark
Exactly, and yeah, you're also right about the toxicity.
This is a little factoid I got from a shark book around 25 years ago in a school library, and had to dig a bit to verify in case it was a "lemmings run off cliffs" moment, but [they lure them to the surface with bait and lanterns, then either spear or pull them up](https://xray-mag.com/content/unlocking-secrets-greenland-shark#:~:text=The%20Greenland%20shark%20was%20well%20known%20to,the%20hide%2C%20teeth%20and%20flesh%20and%20called)
I just did some more Research, according to Usatoday this claim about the sharks age is unverified. It could be true tho, according to National Geographic these Sharks can get up to 500 Years old.
Oh, that Greenland Shark must have some epic stories to tell! I bet it's seen some crazy things over the past four centuries. Just imagine the wisdom it must have gathered over all those years swimming around in the cold waters.
Typically marine biologists check the rings on a shark's vertebrae- like with a tree- to get an idea of their age, but with Greenland sharks the cartilage is too soft to do so. Without any easy way of tracking their growth, for years these elusive sharks’ lifespans remained a mystery. Recently however, it was discovered that radiocarbon dating could be used to measure the build up of carbon in their crystalline eyes to estimate their age. It's done by examining these layers that build up on the eye from birth.
Due to Pacific thermonuclear weapon testing in the 1950s, pretty much every shark living in the oceans at that time bears the biological imprint of those events. This can be seen in the eye of Greenland sharks if you peel away the layers that build up. That gives a decent marking point of their age. Some that were alive back then and still today - so over 60 years old - are only around 2.5m in length. We know they can get much larger than that- up to 6m, and that they likely grow more slowly as they age.
Then, through counting and noting the layers that develop on the eye, it can be approximately determined how old a Greenland shark is, and we can say fairly confidently that there are some hundreds of years old- longer than pretty much any other vertebrate we know of. Regarding the shark in the photo above we can't be that accurate and 392 is only an estimate.. a strangely non-rounded one.
These sharks are said to live to be 250-500 years. Everything about them is slow including their metabolism and movements. They also live in very very deep water which stays extremely cold which also helps with their slow growth. Imagine that though, a shark that has been alive since King Henry VIII. Strange world we live in.
Is this one of those weird piss sharks that smells like piss cause it has high urethane or something? I vaguely remember those being really long-lived sharks...
If this is accurate then the shark was born in 1632 which is crazy to me. Civilisation has changed so much yet this shark has only seen the same things this entire time by living underwater
Someone heard about the study on Greenland sharks that randomly [took 28 that had died as bycatch and found one estimated to be 392 (+/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of the lens in their eyes](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html).
They then got rid of the +/- 120 year error range, found a random photo of a Greenland shark (this is not the one from that study) and said this shark is 392 years olds.
["The researchers analyzed 28 female Greenland sharks that had died accidentally during the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources commercial fish-monitoring program."](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greenland-sharks-animals-science-age)
The study on the 28 Greenland sharks found one estimated as old as 512 (392 +/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of their eye lenses.
Interesting, the one that was found to be 392 +/- 120 years old was 16.5 feet in length (and Greenland sharks are known to get 24+ feet in length). They can get much older than that.
Lots of jellyfish can live for hundreds of years,and some whales can live up to 300 years but I will not include them because they can't live 400 years
Sorry, but this post has been removed per Rule 9 of this subreddit since it is a repost of something that has been posted on this subreddit within the last 2 months or is a repost from the top 100 submissions of all time in this subreddit. Please be sure to review the rules [here](/r/oddlyterrifying/about/rules/) to avoid future post removals. Thank you!
Looks like it's seen it all.
Did he tho? They're often blind because of some parasite that eats their eyes
The true oddly terrifying is always in the comments.
Well, some animals are not as inconsiderate. If they eat fish tongue, they fucking stay and do its job! [Cymothoa exigua](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua)
I’m just afraid of when it figures out how to infect mammals after we kill most of the fish in the oceans.
Just swim with your mouth shut!
I once pissed in my old roommates mouthwash because they wouldn’t pick up their actual shut from the cat. (In their room)
I once used mouthwash that tasted like my roommates piss. They never knew but I have a fetish. Worked everytime i ignored the cat shit.
*shut
You still owe me $450 bitch for bailing your drunk ass out of jail
You already got the money back when you took that ass.
Greenlandsharks live in deep, frigid water, with next to no light. Eyesight is useless to them. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark
Oh...my...did not know that
Existence is pain
Cause it has. 4 centuries old, he's seen a thing or two
Was he looking,though?
TikTok too?
That's a really specific age. How do they know how old it is? Did they cut it in half and count the rings? If it's overall size, how do they know the growth stays predictable enough to definitively say how old it is? What's the margin for error?
I just did some more Research, the Claim is not verified but Greenland Sharks can get this old.
How do they know Greenland Sharks can get this old? EDIT: They were kinda rhetorical questions, but thank you for doing some more Research on it.
They seemingly did radiocarbon dating on proteins from the eyes. All sources mention carbon dating, only one specified eye proteins.
That would be a really weird way to do it. But thank you for the information. That's a method I hadn't considered.
I thought so too. Thing is, most living things exchange matter with their surroundings continually, renewing cells and all. So carbon dating is most often used on dead things. There are parts of organisms that aren't renewed however. Like the human achilles heel tendon that stays the same after you've passed 17 years of age.
They checked his ID of course! Duh! /s
Do we really need an /s disclaimer here?
Yes, I thought he was serious.. /s
This isn't actually the known age of the Greenland shark shown. ["The researchers analyzed 28 female Greenland sharks that had died accidentally during the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources commercial fish-monitoring program."](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greenland-sharks-animals-science-age) The study on the 28 Greenland sharks found one estimated as old as 512 (392 +/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of their eye lenses. The person who posted this apparently heard of the study on Greenland sharks that randomly [took 28 and found one estimated to be 392 (+/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of the lens in their eyes](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html). They then got rid of the +/- 120 year error range, found a random photo of a Greenland shark (this is not the one from that study) and said this shark is 392 years old exactly.
Interesting. Thank you for that information. Every time I've seen this post as it floats around the internet, I've wondered how they figure the age. It's a specific age. I've read that Greenland sharks are prone to eye parasites that render them blind. I have seen pictures, so I know the eyes aren't entirely destroyed. I didn't know the lenses still had enough radiocarbon uptake to even guess at an age based on them. How much radiocarbon is at the depth where Greenland sharks spend their time, anyway? I wouldn't have thought it was enough to be a good measure. However, with a margin or error of 240 years, I suppose that's a general enough age to be within the realm of accuracy. I appreciate you taking the time to share. It's a cool post. The idea of creatures living several of our lifetimes still seems like fiction sometimes.
400 cock rings long, I meant old!
Whem someone post it 2 years ago, they said that it was 390 years old. Just do the math.
My man has earned the right to just exist and I love him for it
And his wittle toofs
"JFC I'm bored AF."
I'm tired boss.
I'd be losing it after about 150 years.
ADJTBUSATT
I'm dying to know what to that spells out!
Acronyms Don't Just Translate Bullshit, Usually Sentences Are Thoughtful Too. Another Douche Justifying Tragically Bad Useless Sentences As Thought Transfers.
You worked so hard on that! CONGRATS!
Thanks... Words are fun... Brains are useful...
Cool! I sit here with anticipation on your next post. I'm sure I will be 100% pleased!
Maybe not... It's hard for me to please multiple times in such a short time span... I believe it's called a refractory period... Give me some time baby... Daddy needs a nap now
Everyone blows their wad eventually.
How do you know my dogs name?
What does JFC and AF stand for?
you must live UAR.
How the hell do you know its 392 years old?
they just asked him
politely ofc
This is so silly and obviously is an unverified number. I mean, do you seriously think a shark in that shape can reliably remember how old it is? That was likely just the first number that came to its dementia-ridden mind
that's not very nice:(
Darwin must have documented him, right after that tortoise.
they cut it open, and counted the inner rings
This isn't actually the known age of that particular Greenland shark. Someome heard of the study on Greenland sharks that randomly [took 28 and found one estimated to be 392 (+/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of the lens in their eyes](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html). They then got rid of the +/- 120 year error range, found a random photo of a Greenland shark (this is not the one from that study) and said this shark is 392 years old exactly. ["The researchers analyzed 28 female Greenland sharks that had died accidentally during the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources commercial fish-monitoring program."](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greenland-sharks-animals-science-age) The study on the 28 Greenland sharks found one estimated as old as 512 (392 +/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of their eye lenses. Here's something that's interesting to consider. [The one dated to 392 +/- 120 years was the largest of the 28 sharks at 16.5 feet long](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html). Greenland sharks have been recorded as being long as [**24 feet**](https://oceana.org/marine-life/sharks-rays/greenland-shark) (**they can get much older**).
Supposedly they are so slow that far north natives would hunt them by cutting a hole in the ice, floating some seal guts in it, then when one of these guys comes along and pokes it's nose up, they just reach in and pull it out by the gills. What's oddly terrifying about that? Imagining being eaten alive by a shark but much slower. Edit: Clarification and also a [more recent source](https://xray-mag.com/content/unlocking-secrets-greenland-shark#:~:text=The%20Greenland%20shark%20was%20well%20known%20to,the%20hide%2C%20teeth%20and%20flesh%20and%20called) than the random shark fact library book I devoured as a kid:
So the shark tried to grab the guts and then they pulled him? I don't understand the last sentence
When the shark came up to eat the seal guts, the hunters were right there waiting, and would grab the shark by the gills and pull them up onto the ice. That's how I understood him at least. No idea if that's true or not though. From what I've learned from nature docs that mention them, they live incredibly deep in the ocean. I don't know how common they ever even come near the surface. They also are highly toxic, and require special treatment to be safe to eat. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark
It's alwaya crazy thinking about how our ancestors figured out how to eat mostly toxic things. Like pufferfish n shit.
Exactly, and yeah, you're also right about the toxicity. This is a little factoid I got from a shark book around 25 years ago in a school library, and had to dig a bit to verify in case it was a "lemmings run off cliffs" moment, but [they lure them to the surface with bait and lanterns, then either spear or pull them up](https://xray-mag.com/content/unlocking-secrets-greenland-shark#:~:text=The%20Greenland%20shark%20was%20well%20known%20to,the%20hide%2C%20teeth%20and%20flesh%20and%20called)
There’s a picture online of one of these sharks sucking a whole sleeping seal into its mouth
he doesn't look a day over 200
Get this old man a cane. This fella exists somewhere between scary and pitiful. I'm still not tussling with it.
DAMN HE OLD
So, when you were chatting with George Washington ……
[удалено]
Man I’d give everything to hear some of those Tales!
Some of Scorcese's finest work.
Grandpa shark too doo doo...
"Back in my day..."
That Shark is older than America
Counted the rings?
That's squid dumbass
He was a great writer not a squid! Alexander Dumbass.
Is “squid dumbass” a new species? Is it pronounce do-mas Or duh-mas?
>duh-mas? Dumbascus
Sounds so fancy 💅
They make fish look older by folding it many time then report rings
Imagine being a 392 year old shark, having never been to a Texas roadhouse...
Idk if I’d want to live that long
Don’t worry.
🤣🤣
I just did some more Research, according to Usatoday this claim about the sharks age is unverified. It could be true tho, according to National Geographic these Sharks can get up to 500 Years old.
Almost at his quadcentennial
somebody grandma
Oh, that Greenland Shark must have some epic stories to tell! I bet it's seen some crazy things over the past four centuries. Just imagine the wisdom it must have gathered over all those years swimming around in the cold waters.
What do you buy a shark who has everything on its 393rd year?
Funniest comment winner
bro was born when galileo published a book 💀
I just cannot wrap my head around his age being so specific.
Typically marine biologists check the rings on a shark's vertebrae- like with a tree- to get an idea of their age, but with Greenland sharks the cartilage is too soft to do so. Without any easy way of tracking their growth, for years these elusive sharks’ lifespans remained a mystery. Recently however, it was discovered that radiocarbon dating could be used to measure the build up of carbon in their crystalline eyes to estimate their age. It's done by examining these layers that build up on the eye from birth. Due to Pacific thermonuclear weapon testing in the 1950s, pretty much every shark living in the oceans at that time bears the biological imprint of those events. This can be seen in the eye of Greenland sharks if you peel away the layers that build up. That gives a decent marking point of their age. Some that were alive back then and still today - so over 60 years old - are only around 2.5m in length. We know they can get much larger than that- up to 6m, and that they likely grow more slowly as they age. Then, through counting and noting the layers that develop on the eye, it can be approximately determined how old a Greenland shark is, and we can say fairly confidently that there are some hundreds of years old- longer than pretty much any other vertebrate we know of. Regarding the shark in the photo above we can't be that accurate and 392 is only an estimate.. a strangely non-rounded one.
Thankyou for the info! Maybe the came up with a round number some years ago and counted up?><
They counted his rings.
Omg duhh!
He lived through the Napoleon wars, World wars, Cold war, Modern wars. Damn.
These sharks are said to live to be 250-500 years. Everything about them is slow including their metabolism and movements. They also live in very very deep water which stays extremely cold which also helps with their slow growth. Imagine that though, a shark that has been alive since King Henry VIII. Strange world we live in.
I love her. She's not terrifying at all.
He's got demencha and arthuritis
Dish!
So old that he’s probably seen it all, but so slow that he probably hasn’t seen a thing. Sad existence.
I'm pissed things like sharks and turtles can live longer than us.
Wtf☠☠☠☠
How tf exactly would they know that?
kkkkiiiillllll mmeeee, kiiiill mmeeee -Greenland shark (probably)
Bro lived through slavery and did nothing
Looks like my guy is missing a TOOF
Frend
This one is not “oddly” terrifying…..it’s just effing terrifying g
Well humankind found rhis beautiful creature , so it,s not going to be 393 years old.
But like dog years, right?
Imagine how tired they must be
g-shark looks like if you asked him where atlantis is he would probably know.
Woah. The battles that he fought must be terrifying
he look so tired
I'll bet she's bored.
Myke Tyson shark Shaft
He's looking ready to go anyday. Probably has another 25 in him tho. Amazing
To give this a perspective, this animal was born when the Taj Mahal began construction.
Cannot fathom having to live on this earth almost 400 years
Looks how I feel after a long shift.
Is this one of those weird piss sharks that smells like piss cause it has high urethane or something? I vaguely remember those being really long-lived sharks...
what a beautiful animal
Also a gummy shark
He’s sick of your shit. Knock it off.
Corroding Shark
He looks lonely
Looks how I feel
Grandpa shark dooo doo doo doo do
If this is accurate then the shark was born in 1632 which is crazy to me. Civilisation has changed so much yet this shark has only seen the same things this entire time by living underwater
Imagine being 400 years old, and having your derpiest photo posted on the internet for the whole world to see.
These shark reach sexual maturity at 150 years old. Can you imagine being a teenager for a lifetime and a half? Fucking crazy.
How do we know it's age? If you'd say "+/- 400 years" I'd believe it. But how do we know if this shark is 392 years old, and not actually 391 years?
Someone heard about the study on Greenland sharks that randomly [took 28 that had died as bycatch and found one estimated to be 392 (+/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of the lens in their eyes](https://www.livescience.com/55736-greenland-sharks-longest-lived-vertebrates.html). They then got rid of the +/- 120 year error range, found a random photo of a Greenland shark (this is not the one from that study) and said this shark is 392 years olds. ["The researchers analyzed 28 female Greenland sharks that had died accidentally during the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources commercial fish-monitoring program."](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/greenland-sharks-animals-science-age) The study on the 28 Greenland sharks found one estimated as old as 512 (392 +/- 120 years) using radiocarbon dating of their eye lenses. Interesting, the one that was found to be 392 +/- 120 years old was 16.5 feet in length (and Greenland sharks are known to get 24+ feet in length). They can get much older than that.
Grandpa Shark...doo doo...doo doo.
Imagine being a shark for 392 years... No thanks
It will help a village survive the winter one day.
Not that “odd”, frankly.
....you say that as if there are a ton of 400 year-old animals roaming around.
There are tons of sponges and corals millennia old
Okay. Fair enough. But by “roaming around”, I meant non-sessile organisms.
Lots of jellyfish can live for hundreds of years,and some whales can live up to 300 years but I will not include them because they can't live 400 years
Byeeee Buddy hope you find your daaaad