When a team of researchers dredged a clam up from the cold seabed off the coast of Iceland, there was nothing about it to suggest they were holding a record-breaker, since it looked much like any other ocean quahog, a species already known for its long life in cold northern waters. Only when they examined it closely did the true scale of what they had found become clear.
Scientists estimate the age of these clams by counting the fine growth lines the animal lays down in its shell year after year, in almost exactly the way the rings of a tree record the passing seasons. By that count, this particular clam had been alive since the year 1499, which earned it the nickname Ming, after the Chinese dynasty that ruled the world when it first settled onto the ocean floor.
At 507 years old, Ming holds the record as the oldest individual animal ever found, having outlasted five centuries of human history without ever leaving the seabed where it began. While empires rose and collapsed above the surface, the clam simply kept adding one faint ring after another to its shell.
There is a rueful footnote to the discovery, because researchers only learned Ming's true age after opening the shell to count those rings, a process that ended the animal's remarkable life. The loss did push scientists toward gentler, non-destructive methods of aging such creatures, so that the next Ming, whenever it is found, might be allowed to keep on living.
#curiousminds
I will have less of a presence on The Torrid Tribe Community. We have very little activity here. This is a sign to me that members have found other social media resources that they are spending more time in. I am happy to see less censorship on social media in general. I started The Torrid Tribe 4 years ago when we were in a state of censorship and lockdowns. It was a difficult time and this was a haven and sanctuary for so many.
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K-
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