Scientists reckon 500-year-old deep sea predator could hold exciting secret for human life

Scientists think that a 500-year-old deep sea predator could be the key to extending human life.

Down in the depths of the ocean resides a fish that's estimated to live up to five centuries.

It's the world's longest-living creature, thanks to its incredibly slow growth rate.

One of the fish was even thought to be born in 1624. It's pretty epic to think that an animal born so many hundreds of years ago is still around now.

Just think of the things it's lived through.

But what's even more interesting is that the vertebrae could hold the key to the future of humans.

The Greenland shark lives deep in the ocean (YouTube/Wonder World)

So what's the secret to their mega long lives?

Well, the Greenland shark have no hard tissue within their bodies and grow at a rate of less than one centimetre per year.

In other sharks, scientists are able to determine their age due to the number of bands on their spines. But due to the lack of hard tissue, researchers studying the fish have struggled.

However, they have managed to calculate the estimated age of a Greenland shark based on proteins found inside their eyes.

Scientists are still working on this method and are hoping to soon be able to understand their ages a little more precisely.

Thanks to new research, they're also able to understand how metabolic activity could be a key factor in how long the sharks live.

And it could be an important discovery for improving the health of humans, too.

Lead researcher Ewan Camplisson, a PhD student at the University of Manchester said: “We want to understand what adaptations they have that allow them to live so long.

"Most species show variation in their metabolism when they age.

"The results support our hypothesis that the Greenland shark does not show the same traditional signs of ageing as other animals."

The Greenland shark grow at a rate of less than one centimetre per year (YouTube/Wonder World)

After conducting enzyme tests on muscle tissue samples, it was found that the shark's metabolism does not decrease over time and could be key to their long lives.

It's thought their unusual metabolism is based on an adaptation to the super cold and deep waters in which they reside.

"My ultimate goal is to protect the species and the best way to do this is to better understand them," Ewan added.

"By studying the Greenland shark and its heart, we may be able to better understand our own cardiovascular health.

“These are issues that become progressively more common and severe with increasing age.”