Oldest Tropical Fish in the World Discovered in Australia

Scientists have discovered the world's oldest tropical reef fish recorder anywhere in the world.

An 81-year-old midnight snapper was caught off the coast of Western Australia and is believed to have live through World War II.

It was found by the Australian Institute of Marine Science at the Rowley Shoals, about 300 kilometers west of Broome.

https://twitter.com/aims_gov_au/status/1333966622663471104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1333966622663471104%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fca.sports.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Foldest-tropical-fish-world-found-144140273.html

Researchers stated that three species weren't commonly targeted by commercial or recreational fishing in Western Australia and the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean, which were: the red bass, midnight snapper, and black and white snapper.

The snapper was identified alongside 10 other fishes over 60 years of age, which included a 79-year-old red bass that was caught in the Rowley Shoals, at the edge of Australia's continental shelf.

Marine scientists determine the age of the fish by dissecting them and studying their ear bones or otoliths which are counted like tree rings.

Brett Taylor, a fish biologist who led the study stated the research would help scientists understand how a fish's length and age will be affected by climate change.

"We're observing fish at different latitudes -- with varying water temperatures -- to better understand how they might react when temperatures warm everywhere." Taylor added.

There are sea animals that live longer than this one. Greenland sharks are the longest-living vertebrate on Earth.

According to University of Copenhagen researchers, these sharks live to at least 400 years, nearly two centuries longer than the whales.

The research was recently published in the journal Coral Reefs. It focuses on four locations along the Western Australia coast, as well as the protected Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean.

There are also several fishes that have lived beyond expectations and are now the star attraction of their aquarium including Buttkiss The Black Pacu, Goldie, Herman the Sturgeon, Methuselah, and Granddad.