Long, scaly, heavy and youthful-looking she may look, but new DNA results show that Methuselah is a century old (±9). The lungfish which lives in Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, could be the oldest living fish in any pond, globally. 

In spite of her unique longevity status, Methuselah still shows no signs of age. DNA evidence makes her the oldest among 231 lungfish from Fiji and Queensland, Australia that came to San Francisco in 1938. 

The first time scientists tried to guess her age was 2017 when they gauged her as 84 years old. With DNA results, however, the actual age could fall anywhere between 92 and 101 years.

Methuselah’s name derives from the biblical patriarch’s who lived to see 969 years although the fish is a ‘she.’

Like all Australian lungfish species, this fish has a long tapered strong body decorated with huge scales. The eyes are tiny pinpoints and the pectoral and pelvic fins look like boat paddles.  The body’s hue is light green verging on brown and has a white mark on the ventral region.

Like most lungfish, Methuselah originally came from a fresh water source along the Burnett-Mary River basin of Australia. 

Down Memory Lane with Methuselah 

As such, this fish has been living on the U.S. West Coast through good and tumultuous times of history.  When she first landed in San Francisco in ‘38, Germany was about to invade France at the start of WWII.

 The U.S. was getting back on its feet after the economic effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s. In February of 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. It virtually replaced the previous Act of 1933. The new bill sought to help farmers recover from the Depression woes, a thing that the previous Act had failed to do.

Lungfish lifespan

Methuselah is the exception as far as lungfish longevity goes. The average lifespan for lungfish is 20 to 25 years. 

Current studies, however, show that research on deciding on the age of this mostly Oceania region species has been narrow. DNA tests reveal different outcomes from those previously held.

Similar Latest Discovery

The fish world has always relied on scientific firsts, such weight to make records for rare species. One such recent record came from a puddingwife wrasse spp., fish from North Carolina, which a fisherman caught in the waters of the state on September 26, 2023. The fish weighed 3 pounds and 11 ounces,(oz), 3 more oz than the previous record holder of this colourful species of blue fish. 

The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that the last such heavyweight for this vibrant species that thrives on reefy coasts of the Americas, was back in 2003, off Florida. 

Final Word 

Ultimately, with the century-old affix for Methuselah, she will most likely become an object of tourism.

Indeed, Steinhart Aquarium has the last word on her by stating that “Methuselah is an important ambassador for her species.”