The story of the world's longest-lived pet goldfish, which has lived for nearly 50 years

The world's "oldest" goldfish lived to be 43 years old. In its later years, even its scales turned from gold to silver.

The average lifespan of a goldfish (Carassius auratus) is usually between 10 and 15 years. But according to the current Guinness World Records, the oldest goldfish in the world is a male named Tish, who lived to be 43 years old.

Tish has lived her entire life in a fish tank owned by Hilda Hand and her son Peter in North Yorkshire, UK. And how Tish has lived is something that many people are interested in.

Goldfish belong to the family Cyprinidae and genus Carassius.

It is known that in 1956, when Peter was only 7 years old, he participated in a game booth at a local fair and won a goldfish as a prize. Peter named the "pet" Tish and brought it home to care for in an aquarium.

Later, when Peter got married and moved out, Tish the goldfish continued to live in the old house, being taken care of by Mrs. Hilda.

According to experts, the longest lifespan of a goldfish is just over a decade, so no one thought Tish could live for so many decades. In 1998, Tish was officially recognized by the world record book as the "oldest goldfish on the planet".

Mrs. Hilda with her goldfish Tish.

"She has a healthy diet, always likes to live in a quiet place. Later in life, Tish is like a pensioner, taking things more slowly," Mrs. Hilda shared with the Daily Express in an interview conducted in 1998, the time Tish was honored.

Before living alone in a tank, Tish used to live with another goldfish named Tosh. However, in 1976, this goldfish died. Since then, Tish has lived quietly alone and without anyone by her side.

In her life, she had a close call. In 1988, for some reason, Tish jumped out of the tank and landed on the carpet. Hilda was not home at the time.

When she returned, she had no idea how long Tish had been lying on the floor. She quickly put the fish in the water tank and then found it swimming around as if nothing had happened.

In her "last" years, Mrs. Hilda noticed that the animal's golden scales gradually turned silver, just like human hair turns white in old age. The animal became more sluggish. Finally, it passed away on August 6, 1999, at the "old" age of 43.

(According to Dan Tri, August 16)

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