London, Dec 29.- Researchers from the Norwegian Arctic University found a shark whose age ranges between 272 and 512 years, which today could be the oldest living vertebrate on the planet, reported the journal Science.
Experts estimated that the predator was hidden all that time in the Arctic Ocean, near Greenland.
The scientists measured the size of the animal to predict its age, as that marine species grows about one centimeter a year.
Such shark in particular, one of the 28 Greenland specimens that were analyzed by Norwegian scientists, measured 5.4 meters long and weighed over a ton.
Because of its longevity, scholars thought that the bones and tissues of that species can give an idea of the impact of climate change and pollution over a long period of history.
Researchers at the Norwegian Arctic University are currently investigating the animal's DNA, to learn more about the factors that affect the life expectancy of different species, including humans. (Prensa Latina)