Scientists believe they may have discovered the world’s oldest living vertebrate.

A shark believed to be the oldest living vertebrate has been discovered — and it could be older than Shakespeare.

The massive Greenland shark was found in the North Atlantic Ocean by scientists who estimated it is up to 512 years old.

Greenland sharks, which only grow 1cm a year, have been known to live for hundreds of years.

The scientists used the shark’s size to suggest its year of birth as early as 1505.

This was the year the future British King Henry VIII ended his engagement to Catherine of Aragon.

Experts used the length — a staggering 5.5 metres — and radiocarbon dating to determine its age as somewhere between 272 and 512 years old, according to a study in journal Science.

It was the oldest of a group of 28 Greenland sharks analysed for the study.

The shark would have been alive during major world events like the founding of the United States, the Napoleonic Wars and the sinking of the Titanic.

Greenland sharks mostly eat fish but they have never been observed hunting. Surprisingly, they have been found to have remains of reindeer and even horses in their stomachs.

I would not mind if they became extinct.

I couldn't agree less!

Personally, except for the gentle "whale shark", I would not mind if they became extinct.

I couldn't agree less!

Let's hope the Japanese don't get wind of it.

Hmm. What are they good for ? They are not pretty, cute, cuddly, fun to watch, or even very good to eat. Seems to me they are rather like millions of of T. Rex's. If T. Rex's still existed would we protect them ? Moreover, they not only compete with us for the food supply, they eat US.

I would imagine them to be very tough to eat at almost 400 years old!