Meet Methuselah, the fish that likes to eat recent figs, have stomach massages and is believed to be the world’s oldest dwelling aquarium fish.
In the Bible, Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather and is claimed to have lived to be 969 years previous. The Methuselah fish is not fairly that historic, however biologists on the California Academy of Sciences imagine it to be about 90 years previous, with no identified dwelling mates.
Methuselah is a 4-foot-long (1.2-m), 18.1-kg Australian lungfish that was introduced from Australia to the San Francisco Museum in 1938.
A primitive species with lungs and gills, the Australian lungfish is believed to be the evolutionary hyperlink between fish and amphibians.
No stranger to hype, Methuselah’s first look was within the San Francisco Chronicle in 1947: “These strange creatures – with green scales that look like fresh artichoke leaves – are a possible ‘missing link’ between terrestrial and aquatic animals.” as are identified to scientists.”
Until just a few years in the past, the oldest Australian lungfish had been on the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. But that fish named Granddad died in 2017 on the age of 95.
“By default, Methuselah is the oldest,” stated Alan Jan, the academy’s senior biologist and fish keeper. Methuselah’s caretakers imagine the fish is feminine, though with out dangerous blood it’s tough to find out the intercourse of the species. The academy plans to ship a small pattern of its fin to researchers in Australia, who will attempt to verify the intercourse and decide the precise age of the fish.
Jan says that Methuselah likes to be rubbed on his again and stomach and that he has a “sweet” character.
“I say to my volunteers, pretend she is an underwater puppy, very sweet, gentle, but of course if she gets scared she will have a sudden jolt of energy. But for the most part she is just calm ,” stated Jan. Methuselah has developed a style for seasonal figs.
“She’s a little salty and only likes figs when they’re fresh and in season. She won’t eat them when they’re frozen,” stated Jeanette Peach, a spokeswoman for the California Academy of Sciences.
There are two different Australian lungfish within the academy which might be smaller, each believed to be of their 40s or 50s, Jan stated.
The Australian lungfish is now a threatened species and might now not be exported from Australian waters, so Academy biologists say it’s unlikely they may discover a alternative after Methuselah’s demise.
“We just give her the best possible care we can provide, and hopefully she thrives,” Jan stated.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
