World's oldest living aquarium fish, named Methuselah, lives in San Francisco

She enjoys figs, but only when fresh, not frozen and thawed.

KGO logo
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Oldest aquarium fish in the world lives in SF
The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is home to the oldest living aquarium fish in the world.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is home to the oldest living aquarium fish in the world.



The lungfish's name is Methuselah, which comes from the Bible.



Methuselah was Noah's grandfather, and he lived for 969 years.



This Methuselah is believed to be a "she," and is at least 90 years old.



RELATED: Rare, monstrous-looking fish washes up on San Diego beach



The Academy will be sending a tiny sample of her fin to researchers in Australia, who will try to figure out her exact age.



"She's really, basically just a big puppy dog," Aquarium curator Charles Delbeek said.



"She's very gentle, very slow moving, but when they want to move fast they can. They can jump out of that tank and that's why we have a guard around it," he explained.



Methuselah weighs about 24 pounds.



Maybe, with her old age comes a more mature palate? She enjoys figs, but only when fresh, not frozen and thawed.



VIDEO: Monterey Bay Aquarium researcher shares experience encountering rare deep-sea barreleye fish


The Monterrey Bay Aquarium and a dive team experienced a rare sighting of a unique fish with a see through head, known as a barreleye fish.


Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.