Oldest Shark In The World - 500 Years?

Hey there, have you ever heard of a shark that's older than Shakespeare? Well, researchers have just discovered an ancient shark in the North Atlantic that is believed to be a whopping 512 years old! Yes, you heard that right. This could possibly make it the oldest living vertebrate in the world.

Now, don't expect this shark to be the most attractive creature in the sea. Greenland sharks, as they are called, have a long thick gray body and a small head with a short rounded snout. They even have ghostly eyes and an ever-gaping mouth, which makes them prone to worm-like parasites that latch onto their eyes.

Marine biologist Julius Nilsson and his team have been studying an 18-foot Greenland shark, which they believe to be at least 272 years old, but possibly as old as 512 years! This species of shark is known to live for hundreds of years and spends most of its life swimming around looking for a mate. But this recent research proves that these sharks could live even longer than we thought.

Here are 10 important historical events starting from 1505:

1483 - Martin Luther, the key figure of the Protestant Reformation, is born in Eisleben, Germany.
1517 - Martin Luther publishes his 95 Theses, which marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
1607 - The English establish the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, which is the first permanent English settlement in North America.
1776 - The American colonies declare their independence from Great Britain and form the United States of America.
1789 - The French Revolution begins, marking a major turning point in European history.
1861-1865 - The American Civil War takes place, which results in the abolition of slavery and the reunification of the United States.
1914-1918 - World War I breaks out, leading to the deaths of millions of people and the redrawing of national borders.
1939-1945 - World War II takes place, resulting in even greater destruction and loss of life than World War I.
1969 - American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
1989 - The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolizes the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.
2001 - Terrorist attacks on September 11th in the United States kill nearly 3,000 people and lead to major changes in national security policies around the world.