This is a 393-year-old Greenland shark. The photo was taken in the Arctic Ocean. This creature has been roaming the icy waters of the North Pole since 1627.
It is the oldest vertebrate —that we know of — in the world.
Translator's note , in response to a question in the comments:
It was thought that the Greenland shark lived on average 200 years, but a study published in 2016 determined that a specimen measuring 5.02 meters was 392 years old, with a margin of error of 120 years.
The specimen found could therefore have been between 272 and 512 years old. This spectacular discovery makes this animal the oldest known vertebrate in the world.
A Greenland shark was also "tagged" off the coast of Greenland in 1936 and recaptured in 1952. Measurements taken at the time led to the conclusion that this species of shark grows half a centimeter to one centimeter per year.
The 2016 study, based on 28 specimens measuring between 81 and 502 cm in length, and using carbon-14 dating of crystals in their eyes to estimate their age, clarified their life cycle. The oldest of the animals tested, which was also the largest, was therefore born between 1504 and 1744…
The authors of the study also concluded that this species reaches sexual maturity at the age of 150 years!