Ming (clam)

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Ming (c. 1499 – 2006), also known as Hafrún, was an ocean quahog clam (Arctica islandica, family Arcticidae) that was dredged off the coast of Iceland in 2006 and whose age was calculated by counting annual growth lines in the shell. Ming was the oldest individual (non-clonal) animal ever discovered whose age could be precisely determined. Initially thought to be 405 years old, Ming was later determined to be 507 years old, although it had previously been killed to make this determination. Its size was 87 mm × 73 mm (3.4 in × 2.9 in).

Read on Wikipedia · Image Alan D Wanamaker Jr1, Jan Heinemeier • James D Scourse • Christopher A Richardson1 • Paul G Butler • Jón Eiríksson • Karen Luise Knudsen, CC BY 3.0