The oldest aquarium fish Methuselah from the USA may be even older than thought – scientists
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Scientists have suggested that the oldest living aquarium fish, Methuselah, may be a dozen years older than previously thought.
A female hornbill (or barramund) named Methuselah lives in the United States. In 1938, she was brought to the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco along with other fish from Fiji and Australia.
Previously, scientists believed that the record-breaking fish was about 85 years old, but a new study showed that it could be 101 years old, according to LiveScience.
The fish was named Methuselah in honor of the oldest biblical hero, who allegedly lived to be 969 years old.
| Photo: California Academy of Sciences |
Methuselah earned the unofficial title of the world’s oldest aquarium fish in 2017, when another Grandfather roach died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago at the age of 95.
Finally, the fish was recognized as a record holder in 2022.
Aquarium staff were never sure how old Methuselah was, but until now she was believed to be 84-85.
Summer fish loves being petted and hand-fed by keepers. She feels happy, the aquarium workers themselves say.
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| Methuselah is the oldest living aquarium fish, which can be over 100 years old |
The researchers decided to find out the age of the fish using the “DNA-age clock”.
The scientists compared Methuselah’s DNA with the genetic material of other Australian bivalves.
The results show that she is most likely 92 years old, but could be as old as 101.
“Although we know that Methuselah came to us in the late 1930s, at the time there was no method of determining her age.”said Steinhart Aquarium employee Charles Delbeck.
The man added that he would be incredibly interested to know her real age.
The researchers compared the DNA of 30 wild and captive pronghorns, including two fish at the Steinhart Aquarium.
The team analyzed the amount of methylation in the genetic material of the fish. Methylation is a biological process in which methyl groups are added to a DNA molecule.
Researchers aren’t sure how long Methuselah has lived, but the more samples scientists collect, the more accurate the “DNA clock” will be for the species.
At the same time, regardless of how old the fish Methuselah is, people do not know of any living raccoon older than her.
We will remind you that pronghorns are often called “living fossils” because they remain relatively unchanged for millions of years.
However, the future of this species is becoming increasingly uncertain. Pronghorns are threatened by human construction activities, particularly dams, which have altered their habitat.
These fish are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Read also: The oldest aquarium fish in the world named Grandfather died at the age of 90
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