You might think this can’t be true, that an ancient shark born in the 1600s is still alive today, but it is! The Greenland shark is known for its incredible longevity, yet it hasn’t been able to be properly studied due to their deep remote habitat. But, let’s look at what we know!
396 Years Old
The Greenland shark in the video is 396 years old and was born in 1627. This incredible discovery was possible due to radiocarbon dating of the shark’s eye lenses.
What Is Radiocarbon Dating?
It is a technique that analyzes Carbon 14 (C-14) levels in natural materials, such as the shark’s eye lenses. By then comparing this C-14 level to the estimated original levels, scientists can determine the age of organic materials and animals.
Blindness
When these sharks reach their very mature ages, they often go blind. Parasites latch onto their eyes and cause them to lose their sight. Luckily, the loss of their sight doesn’t affect their hunting ability.
The Parasite
The parasite that latches to their eyes is called the Ommatokoita elongata. These crustaceans damage the shark’s eyes until they are blinded. Fortunately for the sharks, they have incredible hearing and smell on which they already rely.
Longevity Of Greenland Sharks
Greenland Sharks, scientifically known as Somniosus microcephalus, are the longest-living vertebrates on the planet. They live between 250 and 400 years long!
Sexual Maturity
Many sharks in our oceans have a slow maturity rate, but no one comes close to the Greenland shark in this field! Females only reach sexual maturity, meaning they can reproduce, at the age of 156.
Reproduction
When they are finally able to reproduce, female Greenland sharks are pregnant between 8 and 18 years long. It might seem like a super long time, but due to their slow maturity rate, it makes sense. Females then give birth to a litter of about 10 baby sharks. Due to their incredible longevity, it is possible for one female to birth 700 babies in her lifetime.
Size
They are not only the longest-living but also the largest shark species in the world’s oceans! These sharks are between 8 and 23 feet long and weigh 880 to 3,100 pounds.
Appearance
As mentioned before, there isn’t much footage or photos of these deep-sea sharks. But we do know that they have rounded snouts, thickset bodies, and small eyes, and their color ranges from pale grey to dark brown.
Diet
These large apex predators feed primarily on fish, including other sharks, fish in their environment, seals, and squid.
Hunting
These sharks prefer to hunt in the darkness of the deep ocean, which they know very well. It is said that due to their slow swimming speeds, they often hunt sleeping marine mammals that can’t swim away from them.
Habitat
They primarily inhabit the deep waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It is found at depths ranging from 650 to 1970 feet but can go as deep as 7,000 feet! They thrive in cold, dark environments with temperatures between 30-50°F, often under ice-covered regions.
Greenland Shark Swimming Speed
Because they live in an environment where it’s almost freezing, they are quite sluggish and slow-moving. Greenland sharks have the lowest swim speed (1.6 miles per hour) compared to other fish species their size! This could potentially explain their slow metabolism and longevity.
Are Greenland Sharks Dangerous To Humans?
Greenland sharks are generally not dangerous to humans due to their deep-water habitat and slow-moving nature.
How Have Greenland Sharks Adapted To Their Cold Environment?
They have a extremely slow metabolism and high concentrations of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) in their tissues to protect against the cold and high pressure of their habitat.
Do They Have Any Predators?
Greenland sharks have almost no natural predators! This is most likely due to their size and deep-water habitat, but orcas and other larger sharks might prey on them if their paths cross.
Conservation Status
These large sharks are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Due to their slow maturity and extreme longevity, these sharks are susceptible to overfishing.
The Video
The Ancient Greenland Shark
It is incredible to know that this shark is alive today at 397 years old! Without this discovery many of us would never have heard of this shark, its incredible adaptations, and impressive longevity.
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