AnimalsMarine Life
The oldest animal ever found was 507. We froze it.
The oldest known animal was an ocean quahog clam dredged off Iceland in 2006. Shell rings and radiocarbon dated it to 507 years old — alive since around 1499 — and it was nicknamed Ming, for the dynasty ruling China at its birth. It died in the ship's freezer with the rest of the catch, before anyone realised what it was.
Step by step
- In 2006, researchers dredged an ocean quahog clam off Iceland.
- Shell rings and radiocarbon put it at 507 years old — born around 1499.
- Named Ming for the dynasty ruling China at its birth, it died in the ship's freezer, unrecognised.
Source
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