Story highlights Researchers estimate Greenland sharks live at least as long as 400 yearsThese Arctic sharks reach sexual maturity around the age of 150, according to a study(CNN) Swim aside, bowhead whales: Greenland sharks have stolen the crown as longest-living vertebrate on Earth. "I encountered the sharks here for the first time, and I was fascinated that so little were known about such large sharks," Nielsen said. University of Copenhagen researchers estimated that these sharks live at least 400 years, nearly two centuries longer than the whales. A student job with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources inspired Julius Nielsen, lead author of the new study, to research the Greenland shark, which roams the chill waters of the North Atlantic. JUST WATCHED Underwater bedroom lets you sleep with sharks Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCHSo how do you discover the age of a mute primordial shark?

Source: CNN August 12, 2016 01:07 UTC