General Greenland sharks live 400 years or more

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MMAPlaywright

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Greenland sharks live at least as long as 400 years, and they reach sexual maturity at the age of about 150, a new study reports. The results place Greenland sharks as the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth.

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is widely distributed across the North Atlantic, with adults reaching lengths of 400 to 500 centimeters (13 to 16 feet).

The biology of the Greenland shark is poorly understood, yet their extremely slow growth rates, at about 1 cm per year, hint that these fish benefit from exceptional longevity.

Traditional methods for determining the age of a species involve analyzing calcified tissue, a feature that's sparse in Greenland sharks. Therefore, to determine the average age of this species, Julius Nielsen et al. applied radiocarbon dating techniques to the eye lenses of 28 females caught as by-catch.

Their analysis suggests an average lifespan of at least 272 years.

The two largest sharks in this study, at 493 cm and 502 cm in length, were estimated to be roughly 335 and 392 years old, respectively.

What's more, since previous reports suggest that females of this species reach sexual maturity at lengths greater than 400 cm, the corresponding age would be at least 156 years old, the authors say.

Based on these results, the Greenland shark is now the oldest-known vertebrate to roam the Earth.
 

MMAPlaywright

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Greenland Shark Believed To Be 512 Years Old, Dubbed As World’s Oldest Living Vertebrae


The quest for longer life has always been one of the craziest goals of the rich and powerful. Because once you have everything you’ll ever want and need and in out-of-this-world proportions, time will still bring you back down to the bitter Earth. Now while humans want longer lifespans and even spent disgusting amounts of wealth/ to attain it, some animals have all the luck, like one Greenland shark which is believed to be around 500-years-old, still young, mind you.

Well, to be more specific, the said shark is estimated to be around 512-years-old, meaning there is a chance it was born in the 1500s. That makes it older than the majority of the world’s countries. The said unnamed shark was found swimming along the Arctic Ocean while jamming to his favorite Rennaissance music, just kidding, it doesn’t listen to music, but it probably was alive at the time Magellan proved that the world is not flat.

Now, regarding Greenland sharks, they generally have lifespans of over hundreds of years, much like some turtle and tortoise species. These sharks also grow at a rate of one centimeter per year and that was how scientists estimated the said shark’s age. The shark was measured at around 5.48 meters in length and weighed over a tonne. So if you do the math, the shark more or less around 500 years of age, making it the longest living vertebrae on the planet.

What on Earth would they be doing with that much time, you ask? Well, the said shark actually set up its own history school to disprove flat-Earthers and sell Da Vinci autographs… Jokes aside, they don’t do much, they spend hundreds of years of their lives just swimming around and looking for mates, something that humans only take about 20 years on average to do.
 

MMAPlaywright

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9 facts about Greenland sharks
The Greenland shark, or Somniosus microcephalus, is one of many fish that live in the waters around Greenland, though this is not the only area in which the shark dwells. These sharks, which are sometimes referred to as “gray sharks” or “gurry sharks,” can also be found in the north Atlantic Ocean near Iceland, Norway, and Canada.

1. Greenland sharks are really, really big
If you are looking for a Greenland shark, it is important to have a good understanding of their physical dimensions. Greenland sharks are among the largest sharks in the world, comparable in size to great whites. They have been known to grow as long as 6.4 meters (21 feet) and as heavy as 1,000 kg (2,100 pounds), though the typical Greenland shark weighs around 400 kg (880 pounds) and is about 2.44 to 4.8 meters long (18 to 15.7 feet).

2. The meat of a Greenland shark is poisonous
Greenland shark meat can cause symptoms in humans similar to severe inebriation, and the neurotoxins in their flesh can even be incapacitating to sled dogs. This toxicity is due to trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) in the tissue of Greenland shark flesh, which helps the fish stabilise their enzymes and structural proteins against the debilitating effects of severe cold and high water pressure. Nonetheless, Greenland shark meat can be prepared in a fermentation process that removes the TMAO, resulting in a much-enjoyed national dish of Iceland. This dish, known as Hákarl or kæstur hákarl, is prepared by hanging the meat of the Greenland shark up for four to five months, thus removing the adverse effects of the neurotoxins.

3. Greenland sharks do not attack humans
There are some early Inuit legends that claim Greenland sharks have attacked numerous kayaks, but the reality is that there is not one documented case of such an encounter. Greenland sharks are large and strong enough to easily injure or kill a human if they feel threatened, but history has shown them to be especially non-confrontational.

4. Swimming unseen is a Greenland shark talent
It is understandable that people who take Greenland cruises may want to see Greenland sharks, but in fact the odds are rather low. This species was not even captured on film for the first time until 1995, and it took 18 more years for anyone to get a video that depicted Greenland sharks in their natural environment.

5. Greenland sharks are master divers
One of the primary reasons Greenland sharks are spotted so infrequently is their ability to dive to such extreme depths. Researchers have recorded them going as deep as 2,200 meters (7,218 feet), and they can sometimes be found relaxing on the slopes and shelves far under the ocean’s surface.

6. No food is too good for a Greenland shark
Vultures have earned a reputation for being nature’s garbage disposals, and the same can be said of Greenland sharks. Although these fish can be found eating seals and fish, Greenland sharks are believed to be primarily scavengers, nourishing themselves on any flesh they can find. Whether living or dead, no dish is turned down by a Greenland shark.

7. Greenland sharks know that slow and steady wins the race
Perhaps because they will eat almost anything, Greenland sharks never seem to be in a hurry. Their average pace of 0.3 meters per second (0.76 mph) is so slow that they are also known as “sleeper sharks,” and they can only increase their speed for short bursts. Even so, the size of a Greenland shark helps protect it from any would-be predators.

8. The colder the water, the happier the Greenland shark
All sharks are cold-blooded, but this particular species truly thrives in a frigid environment. Greenland sharks prefer to stay in water ranging from -1 to 10°C (30.2 to 50°F), and they migrate to the coldest part of the water each season. Indeed, Greenland sharks are the only known shark species that can tolerate Arctic conditions all year long.

9. Greenland sharks are Earth’s longest-living vertebrates
Analyzing the eyes of Greenland sharks, scientists have discovered the possibility that these fish can live to 400 years old or more. The transparent tissue in the Greenland shark eye lens is metabolically inactive, with new layers added throughout the shark’s lifetime, much like the rings of a tree. The scientists examined the lens tissue of 28 female Greenland sharks captured in the north Atlantic, using radiocarbon dating to measure the amounts of a particular carbon isotope absorbed by the innermost part of the lens. Age estimates of the two biggest sharks placed them at around 335 to 392 years old. The analysis of all the shark tissue indicated that the lifespan of a Greenland shark ranges between 252 and 512 years, with 390 the likeliest average. Even if Greenland sharks typically lived only to the lower range of that estimate, they would be the longest-living vertebrate known to science.
 
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1031

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soon to be extinct once Japanese and Chinese research vessels make their way over...oh wait point #2 helps to protect their sharkey asses
 

otaku1

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Jul 16, 2015
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Fun fact 1. There's plenty of Greenland sharks in the st-lawrence gulf. The GS is big. A friend of mine loves to scuba dive and one Greenland shark snuck up on him and his friends while he was diving way up near the coast where the river becomes the gulf. They shat themselves, thinking there was a great white coming for them. But no, thank God, just a curious Greenland dude.

Fun fact 2. The St Lawrence gulf got some great whites now, off the coast of Nova Scotia, thanks to a large seal population.

Fun fact 3. The GS swims upstream the Saguenay fjords. A shark or two get caught by fishermen every year or so.

Fun fact 4. The gulf of st Lawrence gets also visited by whale sharks . I saw footage of one 1 or 2 years ago.

I love the St Lawrence river and gulf; they're simply majestic. Anyone interested in marine Wildlife biology etc should go there at least once I .their lifetime .
 
1

1031

Guest
Fun fact 1. There's plenty of Greenland sharks in the st-lawrence gulf. The GS is big. A friend of mine loves to scuba dive and one Greenland shark snuck up on him and his friends while he was diving way up near the coast where the river becomes the gulf. They shat themselves, thinking there was a great white coming for them. But no, thank God, just a curious Greenland dude.

Fun fact 2. The St Lawrence gulf got some great whites now, off the coast of Nova Scotia, thanks to a large seal population.

Fun fact 3. The GS swims upstream the Saguenay fjords. A shark or two get caught by fishermen every year or so.

Fun fact 4. The gulf of st Lawrence gets also visited by whale sharks . I saw footage of one 1 or 2 years ago.

I love the St Lawrence river and gulf; they're simply majestic. Anyone interested in marine Wildlife biology etc should go there at least once I .their lifetime .
Fun fact 2 will be keeping me from joining the fun for the foreseeable future.
 

karasu

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2019
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compare this photo to that of the Greenland shark posted in this thread. Proof of Alien Hybrid?