Nature & Environment

Great white sharks can live up to 70 years

By T.K. Randall
January 10, 2014 ·  7 comments

Great whites are responsible for many unprovoked attacks on humans. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Terry Goss One of the most feared animals on the planet, the great white shark has been a staple of popular culture ever since Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie "Jaws" brought the world's most prolific man-eating fish to the attention of the masses.

Now thanks to new research, scientists have discovered that these behemoths of the deep live a lot longer than anybody thought. Previously believed to have a lifespan of around 30 years, the great white shark appears to be capable of living up to 70 years or more."Everyone thinks they know these animals so well, and the public perception is that they're either loved or hated," said researcher Li Ling Hamady. "But in terms of the science, we're only just now beginning to understand what they eat, where they go and how long they live."

This remarkable new find means that great white sharks are now considered to be one of the longest-lived cartilaginous fish ever recorded.

Source: BBC News | Comments (7)

Tags: Shark