SAN FRANCISCO —
Meet Methuselah, the fish that likes to eat recent figs, get stomach rubs and is believed to be the oldest aquarium fish on the planet.
In the Bible, Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather and was stated to have lived to be 969 years outdated. Methuselah the fish shouldn’t be fairly that historic, however biologists on the California Academy of Sciences consider it to be about 90 years outdated, with no identified residing friends.
Methuselah is a 4-foot-long, 40-pound Australian lungfish that was delivered to the San Francisco-based academy in 1938 from Australia.
A primitive species with lungs and gills, Australian lungfish are believed to be the evolutionary hyperlink between fish and amphibians.
No stranger to publicity, Methuselah first appeared within the San Francisco Chronicle in 1947: “These strange creatures — with green scales looking like fresh artichoke leaves — are known to scientists as a possible ‘missing link’ between terrestrial and aquatic animals.”
Until just a few years in the past, the oldest Australian lungfish was 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 Allan Jan, senior biologist on the academy and the fish’s keeper. Methuselah’s caretakers consider the fish is feminine, though it’s troublesome to find out the intercourse with out a dangerous blood draw. The Academy plans to ship a tiny pattern of Methuselah’s fin to researchers in Australia, who will attempt to verify the intercourse and work out the fish’s actual age.
Jan says Methuselah likes getting rubbed on her again and stomach and has a “mellow” persona.
“I tell my volunteers, ‘Pretend she’s an underwater puppy’ — very mellow, gentle, but of course if she gets spooked she will have sudden bouts of energy. But for the most part she’s just calm,” Jan stated.
Methuselah has developed a style for seasonal figs.
Methuselah, an Australian lungfish delivered to the California Academy of Sciences in 1938, swims in its tank in San Francisco.
(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
“She’s a little picky and only likes figs when they are fresh and in season. She won’t eat them when they’re frozen,” stated Jeanette Peach, spokeswoman for the California Academy of Sciences.
The academy has two different Australian lungfish which are youthful, each believed to be of their 40s or 50s, Jan stated.
The Australian lungfish is now a threatened species and might not be exported from Australian waters, so biologists on the academy say it’s unlikely they’ll get a substitute as soon as Methuselah dies.
“We just give her the best possible care we can provide, and hopefully she thrives,” Jan stated.
