Most tropical fish live for an average of three to five years. However, goldfish can live for 20 years and koi can live up to 40 years. The number of fish that can live for a hundred years is very small. Recently, a group of researchers discovered a new species of fish called the 'Bigmouth Buffalo' that lives for a hundred years. The study showed that the Bigmouth Buffalo fish has a higher immunity than smaller fish. And that is why these fish live for more than a hundred years. Not only that, these fish become healthier with age. As a result, the fish are at their healthiest at the age of 80-90.


According to research, buffalo fish range in color from brown to bluish. A 2019 study reported that buffalo fish can live up to 112 years. However, in January this year, a 127-year-old bigmouth buffalo fish was found in Saskatchewan, Canada. There are two other species of bigmouth buffalo fish. The smallmouth buffalo and the black buffalo can also live for more than 100 years. Most of the bigmouth buffalo fish found in Apache Lake in eastern Arizona, USA, are over 100 years old.


The Greenland shark is the longest-living shark of any living vertebrate. Their lifespan is about 250 years. Alec Lackman, a fish expert at the University of Minnesota in the United States, said, "What we think about bigmouth buffalo fish is wrong. For the study, 222 buffalo fish were caught from Apache Lake from July 2018 to July 2023. The age was then estimated by analyzing the stones called otoliths in the fish's ears. The stones made of calcium carbonate help the fish hear and feel vibrations in the water. A new layer is formed on the stones every year. Just as a tree trunk has a layer every year, layers are also formed on the stones. Analysis of the otoliths showed that about 90 percent of the buffalo fish in Apache Lake are over 85 years old.

The researchers studied three species of buffalo: smallmouth buffalo, bigmouth buffalo and black buffalo. A technique called catch-photorelease was used to determine the age of the remaining 199 fish collected from the lake. In this method, fish are collected with small barbed or barbed hooks and photographed. At the end of the study, 129 fish were released into the lake.

Researchers have also estimated the age of the fish by examining the orange and black spots on the fish's pictures. Nathan Fernau, curator of fish and invertebrates at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA, said, "Large fish like sturgeon and alligator gar are found in rivers. Several species of which can live for more than 50 years. Researchers have found fish that are more than 100 years old. This will provide an opportunity to learn a lot of new things."

Scientist Lackman said that more needs to be learned about the longevity of bigmouth buffalo fish. Studies have shown that the fish can generally fight bacteria well. Not only that, but the ratio of lymphocytes to neutrophils has been found to be lower in the blood of older fish. In addition to this information, it is necessary to know what the secret of the fish's eternal youth is. Through this, new information can be obtained to discover the strategy for long-term survival of other vertebrates, including humans.