A Greenland Shark ( Somniosus microcephalus ), swims under ice near northern Baffin Island, in the Canadian Arctic.
The creature in question — a Greenland Shark — does, in fact, live to be several centuries old, according to a study that was published in August 2016 in the journal Science , and which was referenced in the news coverage.
Greenland sharks ( Somniosus microcephalus ) are native to the Arctic and North Atlantic, and can grow to be up to 24 feet (7 meters) long and weigh up to 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms), according to the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group (GEERG).
"But even the lowest part of the age range — at least 272 years — still makes Greenland sharks the longest-living vertebrate known to science."
Author Bio Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer Mindy Weisberger is a senior writer for Live Science covering general science topics, especially those relating to brains, bodies, and behaviors in humans and other animals — living and extinct.
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