Eye lens radiocarbon reveals centuries of longevity in the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus)

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Nielsen, Julius, Hedeholm, Rasmus B., Heinemeier, Jan, Bushnell, Peter G., Christiansen, Jorgen S., Olsen, Jesper, Ramsey, Christopher Bronk, Brill, Richard W., Simon, Malene, Steffensen, Kirstine F., Steffensen, John F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: POST-BOMB RADIOCARBON; FEEDING ECOLOGY; NORTHWEST ATLANTIC; AGE VALIDATION; LAMNA-NASUS; PRE-BOMB; FOOD-WEB; CALIBRATION; OTOLITHS; DELTA-N-15; Arctic; Greenland; Lamna nasus; Northwest Atlantic; Somniosus microcephalus
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/6dead7a7-70b3-4e9d-92b2-2231ff6ae179; https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf1703

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), an iconic species of the Arctic Seas, grows slowly and reaches >500 centimeters (cm) in total length, suggesting a life span well beyond those of other vertebrates. Radiocarbon dating of eye lens nuclei from 28 female Greenland sharks (81 to 502 cm in total length) revealed a life span of at least 272 years. Only the smallest sharks (220 cm or less) showed signs of the radiocarbon bomb pulse, a time marker of the early 1960s. The age ranges of prebomb sharks (reported as midpoint and extent of the 95.4% probability range) revealed the age at sexual maturity to be at least 156 ± 22 years, and the largest animal (502 cm) to be 392 ± 120 years old. Our results show that the Greenland shark is the longest-lived vertebrate known, and they raise concerns about species conservation.