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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteA 2016 study estimated that one sampled 502 cm female Greenland shark was 392 years old, with an uncertainty of 120 years. That is a statistical estimate based on radiocarbon in eye-lens tissue—not an exact age read from growth rings or a shark observed for centuries.
The estimate makes Greenland sharks candidates for the longest-lived vertebrates known, as the study’s authors concluded. Its wide probability range and assumptions matter: the result is not proof that this individual was exactly 400 years old or that all Greenland sharks live for centuries.
What the study found
Nielsen and colleagues examined eye-lens nuclei from 28 female Greenland sharks, 81–502 cm long. The specimens were collected during scientific surveys in Greenland from 2010 to 2013. The largest specimen, measuring 502 cm, was estimated to be 392 ± 120 years old. The study gives this as a midpoint and extent of a 95.4% probability range—approximately 272–512 years.
The authors also reported a minimum lifespan of at least 272 years and estimated female sexual maturity at at least 156 ± 22 years. These are results from the study’s sample and model, not a census of the species’ lifespan or maturity ages.
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How did researchers estimate the shark’s age?
The team measured radiocarbon in the nuclei of the sharks’ eye lenses. The study describes this embryonic tissue as containing metabolically inert proteins formed before birth and retained from approximately age zero. The isotope signal in this tissue reflects the mother’s diet.
Mid-20th-century nuclear-weapons testing sharply increased atmospheric radiocarbon, creating what is known as the “bomb pulse.” Researchers used that rise as a time marker. They then used radiocarbon chronology and a model relating shark length to age to estimate ages for older specimens that predated the bomb pulse.
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The researchers did not carbon-date the whole living shark or determine a historical birth year. Their chronology assumes a positive relationship between shark size and age, and the inferred age also depends on when bomb radiocarbon entered the food web.
How certain is the nearly 400-year estimate?
The 392-year figure is an estimated midpoint, not a precise age. The study’s 95.4% probability range for the largest shark extends approximately from 272 to 512 years. It is most accurate to say that the shark was estimated to be 392 ± 120 years old.
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| What is being described | What the evidence says |
|---|---|
| Measured signal | Radiocarbon in eye-lens nuclei. |
| Inferred age | An estimate from radiocarbon chronology and a model relating length to age. |
| Study estimate for the largest specimen | 392 ± 120 years; approximately 272–512 years within the reported 95.4% probability range. |
| Claim about every Greenland shark | Not established by this study of 28 females. |
What are the limits and criticisms of the estimate?
The age estimate depends on assumptions about the bomb-pulse signal’s timing in the marine food web and the relationship between shark length and age. Contemporary shark-age specialist Steven Campana said he would await future research before treating the shark as a record holder.
In 2026 reporting, biologist Aaron MacNeil raised the possibility that slow mixing in deep ocean layers could delay the arrival of bomb radiocarbon and make the estimate too high. This is a reported concern, not a revised age estimate or proof that the original study is wrong. The dossier identifies no later re-dating that settles the issue.
| Interpretation | What it means |
|---|---|
| The 2016 study’s result | The largest sampled shark was estimated at 392 ± 120 years using radiocarbon and a size-age model. |
| Reported concern | MacNeil suggested delayed deep-ocean mixing could affect when the bomb-pulse signal reached the food web. |
| What is not known | The concern does not provide a replacement age or establish that the estimate is incorrect. |
Why does the finding matter for conservation?
The study’s authors raised conservation concerns alongside their longevity conclusion. If Greenland sharks mature only after many decades—as their estimate of at least 156 ± 22 years suggests—lost mature animals may take a long time to replace. The study supports caution about the species’ capacity to recover, but its sample and age model do not establish the lifespan or reproductive timing of every shark.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
Was the Greenland shark really almost 400 years old?
The 2016 study estimated that one sampled 502 cm female was 392 ± 120 years old. The result is a broad statistical estimate, not a precisely known age.
Why did researchers use the shark’s eye lens?
The study measured radiocarbon in eye-lens nuclei, which contain proteins formed prenatally and retained from approximately age zero. Their radiocarbon signal helped researchers infer when the tissue formed.
What does 392 ± 120 years mean?
It is the study’s estimated midpoint and uncertainty for the largest specimen. The reported 95.4% probability range is approximately 272–512 years.
Did researchers count growth rings?
No. They measured radiocarbon in eye-lens nuclei and used radiocarbon chronology and a model relating length to age.
Could the estimate be too high?
In 2026 reporting, biologist Aaron MacNeil raised the possibility that slow mixing in deep ocean layers could delay the bomb-radiocarbon signal. That is an unresolved concern, not a settled correction or an alternative age estimate.
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