We are living on a planet having a diversified range of flora and fauna, having their existence varying from place to place. Furthermore, out of such a huge number of species available on Earth, many of them had certain characteristics, that have always shocked us and have been a subject of fascination anyways. So, this day we have brought you the story of another living creature, “Hanako” who made history with its rarest tendency of living.
In news.
- It was back in the year 1966, when Dr. Komei Koshihara, the last owner of this wonderful fish was interviewed for a national broadcast, which made everybody surprised, telling about the long lifespan of Hanako.
- On the set of Nippon Hoso Kyokai radio station, Dr. Kmoei mentioned that after his grandmother informed him about the fish to have been handed down through generations of their family, he decided to get her age verified.
- Once after, the verification was done by Professor Masayoshi Hiro at the Nagoya Women’s college’s animal laboratory, the fish was found 26 years old.
Further, an English transcript as per sources also contained a detailed description of the special bond that Dr. Koshinara shared with Hanaka. As per one of his other statements, this koi fish weighed 7.5 kg and was 70 cms in length.
The logic behind the age identification,
As the trunk of a tree consists of several yearly rings, a fish also has annual circles on its scales. By counting the number of the scale, one may easily know the exact age of the fish. In Hanako’s case, two of her scales were taken out for study which determined her to have attained an age of more than 200 years old using a light microscope.
Dr. Koshinara had this fish for generations and was asked to keep her with care after which he became curious to know the actual age of his water pet.
Scientific details.
Although, Hanako belonged to Koi species that lived for such a long time, not all the fishes of this species survive for these many years. Some of the scientific details about this species are as follows:
- Scientific name- Cyprinus rubrofuscus
- Mainly kept in water gardens for decorative purposes.
- Belong to the Chordata phylum, Actinopterygii class from the Cyprinidae family.
- It is a Coldwater fish, that can survive even when kept in the 15–25 °C range.
- Have a weak immune system.
The story behind her name, “HANAKO”
Born in 1751 in Japan, the ruby-colored fish belonging to koi species was named “Hanako”. An average lifespan of a Japan’s koi fish is 40 years, whereas the Koi Hanako, completed 226 years before her death.
She got this name signifying a ‘flower girl’ in Japanese, as she stayed there for over two eras in a pond near Mountain On-take of Japan.
“Her unfortunate death”
As per the Indian timeline, the koi fish remained alive during the full period of freedom struggle, after which she left the world in July 1977 completing an incredible age of 226 years. Not only, she holds the title of the oldest koi, but also made a record as the longest living fish of freshwater.
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