A shark believed to be the oldest living vertebrate has been discovered — and it could be older than Shakespeare.

The massive Greenland shark was found in the North Atlantic ocean by scientists who estimated it is up to 512 years old.

They used its size to suggest its year of birth is as early as 1505 – when future King Henry VIII ended his engagement to Catherine of Aragon.

Greenland sharks, which only grow 1cm a year, have been known to live for hundreds of years.

Experts used its length – a staggering 18ft – and radiocarbon dating to determine its age as between 272 and 512 years old, according to a study in journal Science.

It was the oldest of a group of 28 Greenland sharks analysed for the study.

source: thesun.co.uk