There’s old, and then there’s Australian Lungfish old.
Meet Granddad, an Australian Lungfish living at the Shedd Aquarium, who is thought to be at least a hundred years old.
Granddad has been a resident at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago since 1933. He is believed to be the oldest captive fish in the world.
This ancient fish was acquired in a trade with Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, when Walter H. Chute, then-director of Shedd Aquarium, told management at Taronga he was “particularly desirous of securing one or two specimens” in time for the Chicago World’s Fair. Granddad, along with a potential mate, was sent to Chicago in exchange for some North American specimens.
Granddad was a hit at the fair, and he has visited by at least 100 million tourists since then. Although his mate died in 1980 without successfully breeding, Granddad has since been joined by 4 younger lungfish at the exhibit.
Aquarists hope that the younger fish (two males and two females, who are approximately 30 years old) will eventually breed. The species is considered “vulnerable” by Australian authorities and it is illegal to take them from the wild.
While he’s referred to as Granddad now, he didn’t always go by this moniker. Prior to the arrival of the younger lungfish, he was referred to as “Methuselah”, after the biblical character who is said to have lived to 969. Granddad’s exact age isn’t know, but he was a fully matured adult when he was sent to Chicago.
Lungfish are known for notably long life spans, but Granddad has certainly surpassed all longevity expectations.
Michael Masellis, Granddad’s primary caretaker, affectionately likens the old fish to a “fallen log” due to his largely sedentary lifestyle. This is a common practice for the species, who are benthic omnivores in the wild (fish that eat primarily off the bottom of a river).
As their name implies, lungfish posses a single lung with which they can breathe in and filter air. Interestingly, lungfish can actually survive on land for several days, although they will die if their mucous covering dry out. The lung, however, is typically only used when the fish is in a low oxygen-environment (such as a stagnant pool).
Masellis says that Granddad typically breathes at the surface 2-3 times an hour.
As one of the few captive lungfish, Granddad plays an important role in educating the public about the situation of his species and his exhibit could serve as an important breeding center for future generations of lungfish.
After 83 years, Granddad is still going strong at his Chicago home, and we wish him many more years of happy swimming!