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Methuselah: oldest aquarium fish lives in San Francisco and likes belly rubs | San Francisco

Satisfy Methuselah, the fish that likes to eat refreshing figs, get belly rubs and is considered to be the oldest residing aquarium fish in the globe.

In the Bible, Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather and was mentioned to have lived to be 969 decades old. Methuselah the fish is not rather that historical, but biologists at the California Academy of Sciences consider it is about 90 a long time outdated, with no recognised residing peers.

Methuselah is a 4ft-very long (1.2-meter), 40lb (18.1kg) Australian lungfish that was introduced to the San Francisco museum in 1938 from Australia.

A primitive species with lungs and gills, Australian lungfish are believed to be the evolutionary link between fish and amphibians.

No stranger to publicity, Methuselah’s to start with overall look in the San Francisco Chronicle was in 1947: “These odd creatures, with green scales hunting like refreshing artichoke leaves, are identified to researchers as a feasible ‘missing link’ among terrestrial and aquatic animals.”

Until a couple of years 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,” explained Allan Jan, senior biologist at the Academy and the fish’s keeper. Methuselah’s caretakers imagine the fish is feminine, whilst it’s tough to establish the species’ intercourse devoid of a dangerous blood attract. The academy designs to ship a little sample of her fin to researchers in Australia, who will attempt to confirm the intercourse and figure out the fish’s precise age.

Jan says Methuselah likes acquiring rubbed on her back again and tummy and has a “mellow” identity. “I tell my volunteers, fake she’s an underwater puppy, very mellow, light, but of system if she gets spooked she will have sudden bouts of strength. But for the most portion she’s just quiet,” Jan said. Methuselah has formulated a flavor for seasonal figs.

“She’s a minor picky and only likes figs when they are contemporary and in year. She won’t eat them when they’re frozen,” claimed Jeanette Peach, spokeswoman for the California Academy of Sciences.

The academy has two other Australian lungfish that are younger, both of those thought to be in their 40s or 50s, Jan mentioned.

The Australian lungfish is now a threatened species and can no lengthier be exported from Australian waters so biologists at the academy say it is not likely they will get a alternative as soon as Methuselah passes absent.

“We just give her the finest feasible treatment we can give, and hopefully she thrives,” Jan mentioned.

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