Greenland sharks can live as long as 400 years, making them the Earth's longest-living vertebrates, international researchers say. 

Their slow growth rate of about 1 centimetre per year contributes to their exceptionally long lives, beating out other well-known centenarians of the animal world such as the bowhead whale and the Galapagos tortoise.

The only species known to live longer is a type of clam, said the study in the journal Science.

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