Scientists Find Oldest Living Animal, Then Kill It

Echos of 'We had to destroy it to save it'

Scientists Find Oldest Living Animal, Then Kill It
Monday, October 29, 2007

British marine biologists have found what may be the oldest living animal ? that is, until they killed it.

The team from Bangor University in Wales was dredging the waters north of Iceland as part of routine research when the unfortunate specimen, belonging to the clam species Arctica islandica, was hauled up from waters 250 feet deep.

Only after researchers cut through its shell, which made it more of an ex-clam, and counted its growth rings did they realize how old it had been ? between 405 and 410 years old.

Another clam of the same species had been verified at 220 years old, and a third may have lived 374 years. But this most recent clam was the oldest yet.

"Its death is an unfortunate aspect of this work, but we hope to derive lots of information from it," postdoctoral scientist Al Wanamaker told London's Guardian newspaper. "For our work, it's a bonus, but it wasn't good for this particular animal."

I thought the Guardian was from Manchester

Pretty much like the Japanese whalers, scientific purposes my arse! Aint they got anything better to do with all that intelligence and money?

You state that they were dredging for routine research.

Do you know what they were researching?

I think the paper they published in the New Scientist was titled, 'Now extinct lifeforms we dragged up from the ocean floor that had been there for yonks'. Or something like that.

You git

I just got up to get my most recent new scientist - I totally missed your title!

Git?

I've not heard that curse in ages!

It is my favourite!

They were probably doing legitimate research about what kind of things live in the waters of the area.

you know, these scientists must have known that opening the clam would kill it. so why would they do that. do they really need to know about the clam that badly? it's just a clam, ffs.

well, now it's a dead clam. now we know clams can live 400 years.

vital knowledge at the expense of life, amirite? =P

Undoubtedly - Bangor is a leading university in Marine Research here in the UK.

I am just interested in the field and curious as to the research undertaken.

I will look up the article when I have finished what I am working on - thus allowing my computer to run at more than snails pace.

"opening the clam would kill it"

Maybe they were looking for a rare purple pearl!

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22456379/?gt1=10755

Yes, you are correct.