Hanako (fish)

scarlet koi fish (c. 1751 – 1977)

Hanako (c. 1751 – July 7, 1977) was a bright red koi fish owned by several individuals, the last owner of Hanako was Dr. Komei Koshihara. The name Hanako (花子) translates to "flower child" in Japanese.[1] Far going beyond the average lifespan for her breed, she was 226 years old at the time of her death. Her age was determined in 1966 by removing two of her scales and examining them a lot. At this time, Hanako weighed 7.5 kg (17 lb) and measured 70 cm (28 in) in length.[1] Once the scales were fully and carefully studied, it was determined that she was 215 years old. In July 1974, a study of the growth rings of one of the koi's scales reported that Hanako was 226 years old.[2] She may be, to date, the longest-lived koi fish ever recorded.[3] There has been an argument as to the truthfulness of these longevity claims.[4][5]

Hanako
SpeciesKoi
SexFemale
Bornc. 1751
DiedJuly 7, 1977 (aged 225–226)
Japan
ResidenceJapan

The average koi raised outside of Japan can be expected to reach 15 years of age, while the average Japanese koi's lifespan is 40 years.[6] Some sources give an accepted age for the species at little more than 50 years.[7][8]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "Koi Hanako - Longest Living Freshwater Fish Ever". Fish Laboratory. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  2. Barton, Laura (12 April 2007). "Will you still feed me ... ?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  3. Yasuka (2011-10-26). "Hanako, the scarlet koi". KCP International. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  4. Brown, Paul; Green, Corey; Sivakumaran, K. P.; Stoessel, Daniel; Giles, A. (2004). "Validating Otolith Annuli for Annual Age Determination of Common Carp". Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 133 (1): 190–196. doi:10.1577/T02-148. ISSN 1548-8659.
  5. "Did World's Oldest Fish 'Hanako' Live To Be 226 Years Old? | Snopes.com".
  6. "The Koi Lifespan and Why Japanese Koi Live Longer". Koi Story. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  7. Carwardine, Mark (2008). Animal Records. Sterling Publishing Company. pp. 201. ISBN 978-1-4027-5623-8.
  8. "AnAge entry for Cyprinus carpio". genomics.senescence.inf.