Scientists say the world’s oldest aquarium fish is probably older than first thought.
The California Academy of Sciences (CAS) revealed on Monday that the Australian lungfish Methuselah, which lives at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, is estimated to be 92 years old – nine years older than her previous estimated age of 84.
Methuselah arrived at Steinhart Aquarium in 1938 and outlived the 231 other fish from Fiji and Australia that arrived with it, according to a CAS press release. It is considered the oldest living aquarium fish anywhere in the world.
Scientists estimate that she could live to be 101 years old and could celebrate her 100th birthday in a few years, as CAS’s Steinhart Aquarium also celebrates its 100th anniversary on September 29.
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“Although we know that Methuselah came to us in the late 1930s, at the time there was no method to determine her age, so it is incredibly exciting to get scientifically based information about her actual age,” said Charles Delbeek, curator of aquarium projects at the Steinhart Aquarium.
“Methuselah is an important ambassador for its species, helping to educate and stimulate the curiosity of visitors from all over the world,” added Delbeek. “But its impact goes beyond delighting guests at the aquarium: making our living collection available to researchers around the world helps further our understanding of biodiversity and what species need to survive and thrive.”
Methuselah and two other two lungfish from the Academy, which are approximately 54 and 50 years old, were included in the study to help further advance the approximate age of the fish. Their DNA was sampled using a tiny sample of tissue collected from their fins, which the Academy noted would not affect the fish’s health.
Methuselah, the lungfish, the oldest living aquarium fish in the world, at the Steinhart Aquarium.
Gayle Laird, California Academy of Sciences
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DNA from three lungfish from the Academy and 30 other lungfish from six other institutions was taken to create a catalog that would “advance the accuracy of a previously developed DNA-based species age clock,” according to the Academy.
“For the first time since the discovery of the Australian lungfish in 1870, the DNA age clock we have developed offers the possibility of predicting the maximum age of a species,” said Dr. Mayne, one of the study’s leaders.
He continued: “Accurate knowledge of the age of fish in a population, including maximum age, is vital to their management. This tells us how long a species can survive and reproduce in the wild, which is key to modeling population viability and the reproductive potential of a species.”
However, his partner Dr Roberts admitted that Methuselah’s approximate age was “difficult to calculate” as her “age is beyond the currently calibrated clock”. This means that it could still be older than their calculations, and even older than 100 years.
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dr. Mayne and Dr. Roberts intend to publish their study on lung age later this year. Their original method development paper describes how scientists can estimate the age of endangered fish using DNA methylation methods.
“This research highlights the important and often serendipitous discoveries that can be made by working with public aquariums and institutions that hold protected species in their care,” said Dr Roberts. “This approach to research on the longevity of rare and endangered animals could be extrapolated to almost any vertebrate species and demonstrates the value that animal welfare institutions like the California Academy of Sciences can play in advancing knowledge about animals to improve conservation management of species in the wild.” .”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education