FISH

Meet Methuselah, the oldest living aquarium fish

An elderly fish that likes to eat clean figs and get belly rubs is thought to be the world’s oldest living aquarium fish

SAN FRANCISCO — Fulfill Methuselah, the fish that likes to eat refreshing figs, get belly rubs and is thought to be the oldest residing aquarium fish in the planet.

In the Bible, Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather and was claimed to have lived to be 969 a long time outdated. Methuselah the fish is not quite that ancient, but biologists at the California Academy of Sciences imagine it is about 90 yrs old, with no known living friends.

A primitive species with lungs and gills, Australian lungfish are thought to be the evolutionary website link among fish and amphibians.

No stranger to publicity, Methuselah’s to start with visual appeal in the San Francisco Chronicle was in 1947: “These unusual creatures — with eco-friendly scales looking like clean artichoke leaves — are regarded to experts as a attainable ‘missing link’ between terrestrial and aquatic animals.”

Till a couple of yrs back, the oldest Australian lungfish was at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. But that fish, named Granddad, died in 2017 at the age of 95.

“By default, Methuselah is the oldest,” reported Allan Jan, senior biologist at the California Academy of Sciences and the fish’s keeper. Methuselah’s caretakers believe the fish is woman, although it is difficult to identify the species’ intercourse without having a risky blood attract. The academy programs to send out a very small sample of her fin to researchers in Australia, who will check out to confirm the sexual intercourse and determine out the fish’s specific age.

Jan claims Methuselah likes finding rubbed on her back and belly and has a “mellow” persona.

“I notify my volunteers, faux she’s an underwater pet, really mellow, mild, but of program if she gets spooked she will have sudden bouts of strength. But for the most element she’s just calm,” Jan reported. Methuselah has made a style for seasonal figs.

“She’s a little picky and only likes figs when they are clean and in period. She will never consume them when they are frozen,” said Jeanette Peach, spokeswoman for the California Academy of Sciences.

Natural and organic blackberries, grapes and romaine lettuce are rotated into her day by day food plan, which also contains a variety of fish, clams, prawns and earthworms, said Charles Delbeek, curator of the museum’s Steinhart Aquarium.

The academy has two other Australian lungfish that are young. Named for their measurements, “Medium” arrived at the museum in 1952 and “Small” in 1990, the two from the Mary River, in Queensland, Australia, claimed Delbeek. They weigh about 25 pounds (11 kilograms) and 15 kilos (7 kilograms), respectively.

The Australian lungfish is now a threatened species and can no more time be exported from Australian waters, so biologists at the academy say it’s not likely they’ll get a substitute when Methuselah passes away.

“We just give her the most effective feasible care we can offer, and with any luck , she thrives,” Jan said.

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Affiliated Push author Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this report.

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