The mystery of an ancient sea monster, blind but long-lived

Greenland sharks inhabit the cold waters of the northern Atlantic and Arctic Oceans as well as the waters surrounding Greenland. They are large sharks, averaging 2.4–4.6 m in size.

Among the ancient sea monsters, the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is one of the most impressive with its incredible longevity.

Researchers determined that the average age of a group of 28 Greenland sharks was 272 years old. The oldest was estimated to be 392 years old, with a margin of error of -120 years.

Scientists believe that the Greenland shark is not a fast swimmer, typically only 1.22 km/h with a maximum speed of 2.6 km/h. It is one of the slowest swimming shark species yet identified.

This shark's food is small fish, including sharks and seals.

How Greenland sharks hunt seals remains a mystery. One theory is that they may attack while the seals are sleeping.

Many Greenland sharks cannot see, because they have a parasitic crustacean (Ommatokoita elongata) attached to their eyes.

Parasites can severely damage the eyes, impairing the shark's vision. Despite their poor eyesight, Greenland sharks can rely on their sense of smell to hunt.

To this day, researchers are still searching for the answer to why this shark species has such an amazing lifespan.

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