Methuselah - the world's oldest aquarium fish creates attraction for American aquariums

Scientists testing Methuselah's DNA discovered that the fish living at the aquarium in San Francisco, California, is 92 years old and can live to be 101 years old.

According to an announcement from the American scientific magazine Smithsonian on September 21, the lungfish named Methuselah is the oldest aquarium fish in the world. Scientists analyzed the DNA of 33 lungfish at research institutes across the United States and Australia to determine their true ages. Methuselah is confirmed to be 92 years old this year and may live to be 101 years old.

Currently, the animal still swims at the Steinhart Aquarium of the California Academy of Sciences, one of the world's largest natural history museums storing more than 46 million specimens, in San Francisco, California.

Methuselah fish. Photo: Cal academy

In November 1938, an Australian lungfish named Methuselah was brought to Steinhart Aquarium on an ocean ship. At the time, America had just recovered from the Great Depression and Germany was still under the rule of Adolf Hitler.

Methuselah is named after a biblical character who lived to be 969 years old. Like that character, Methuselah also lived a very long life compared to more than 231 similar fish brought from Fiji and Australia to San Francisco at the same time.

Charles Delbeek, who is in charge of aquarium projects at Steinhart, said that although everyone at the institute knew Methuselah had existed since the 1930s, there was no way to determine the fish's age at the time it was brought to San Francisco. Francisco. "It's exciting that the animal's true age can finally be determined based on science," Delbeek said.

Aquarium representatives said Methuselah today is considered "an important ambassador of the lungfish", helping to educate and arouse the curiosity of visitors around the world. The fact that the fish swims every day at the aquarium and becomes the longest-living aquarium fish in the world helps the museum become more and more famous, attracting a large number of visitors to see Methuselah with their own eyes.

During her many years of "working" at the Steinhart Aquarium, Methuselah has built a reputation for her "charming personality and love of belly rubs," according to aquarium representatives.

Brenda Melton, the aquarium's director of animal care, said Methuselah is a "beautiful and happy fish." "He's been here a long time, seen more things than anyone at the aquarium. We're very lucky to have him," Melton said.

Australian lungfish or Queensland lungfish, are often known as "living fossils" because their fossil traces date back 380 million years ago. This fish has one or two lungs located outside the gills. When water levels change or when their habitat experiences dry periods, they can float to the surface to get oxygen. This fish species is on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

On September 29, Steinhart Aquarium turns 100 years old. This is home to nearly 60,000 animals, representing more than 1,000 species. According to Steinhart's website, this place gives visitors an "unprecedented" view of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Coming here to visit, visitors will find species not displayed anywhere else in the world. The aquarium's current role is to "continue to shape the role of modern aquariums in educating and inspiring the public about the biodiversity and sustainability of oceans and rain forests".

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Photo: Tripadvisor

In addition to Steinhart Aquarium, San Francisco also attracts tourists from all over the world thanks to other unique symbols such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Ferry Building market, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park, Walt Disney Museum Family, as suggested by Tripadvisor.