Interesting research has been reported by Copenhagen University workers suggesting that Greenland sharks are currently the longest-living vertebrate animals (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/11/400-year-old-greenland-shark-is-the-oldest-vertebrate-animal). These top predators can grow very large but nobody knew how long they lived. The scientists used sharks caught inadvertently by trawlers and looked at the isotopes in the lenses of their eyes, starting at the very centre (the oldest material) and finishing at the periphery (the youngest). The isotopes revealed that the big sharks could be up to 400 years old. They also found that females did not breed until they were around 150 years old.
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