Scientists accurately proved Ming the clam, world's oldest animal, was 507 years old and 100 years older than previously thought, before they killed it in 2006.
According to Science Nordic, a team of researchers went to an expedition in Iceland in 2006, where they discovered one of the Artica islandica bivalve molluscs, also known as ocean quahogs, thinking it was 405 years old, making it the world's oldest animal.
"We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hastingly publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we've got the right age now," ocean scientist Paul Butler, who researches into the A. islandica at Bangor University in Wales, tells ScienceNordic.
Unfortunately, when the British researchers, unaware of its impressive agen opened up the shell of Ming, the mollusc died in 2006.
The name of the animal was given after the Chinese Ming dinasty, which was in power when it was born.
"The age has been confirmed with a variety of methods, including geochemical methods such as the carbon-14 method. So I am very confident that they have now determined the right age. If there is any error, it can only be one or two years," says marine biologist Rob Witbaard of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, who has researched into the A. islandica for more than 30 years.
Leading researcher, biologist Doris Abele, believes Ming impressive longevity skill is primarily due to its slow metabolism or, it lives in slow motion.
But Ming may not be the world's oldest animal found yet.
"The glass sponge (Hexactinellida) is thought to reach an age of 15,000 years, and some researchers even believe they have found specimens with ages of up to 23,000 years" researchers shared.
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