New research indicates that certain fish species in the Great Lakes could live for as long as 400 years, far longer than previously estimated. The findings focus on long-lived “living dinosaur” fish that spend much of their lives in cold, deep waters.
Context from earlier studies is central to the story. Prior work had suggested these fish had life expectancies closer to about 150 years, which already made them among the longest-lived vertebrates in the region. The new study revises that estimate upward, implying slower life processes and potentially longer survival than earlier models accounted for.
Both outlets report the broad conclusion that the Great Lakes contain unusually long-lived fish and that the latest analysis pushes the upper age range substantially higher. The coverage differs mainly in the framing of the discovery—whether emphasizing the headline number itself or contrasting it with the older 150-year estimate—rather than disputing the core result.
