Rarely seen shark — over 100 years old — washes ashore in Greenland, scientists say
Along an icy coast of Greenland, locals spotted the body of a rarely seen deep-sea creature. Wildlife officials identified the stranded animal as a 100-year-old shark.
The shark was spotted off the coast of Nuuk during a storm, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources said in a Dec. 14 news release. Annie Busk Lennert, one of the people who found the shark’s body, had earlier seen the shark either playing or fighting in the water but eventually lost sight of it.
Soon after, wildlife officials received several reports of a stranded shark on a rocky beach in Avannarliit.
Biologist Daniel Estévez-Barcia identified the animal as a Greenland shark, the institute said.
The female shark measured about 13 feet long and was just over 100 years old, Estévez-Barcia said in the release. Based on its missing tail, the animal was likely killed by fishermen.
Greenland sharks are the longest-living vertebrates in the world, according to NOAA. They can live “at least 250 years” but might reach “over 500 years” in age.
Most of the shark’s long life is spent slowly swimming through the deep cold waters of the Arctic and northern Atlantic Ocean, according to Britannica. Because of this preferred habitat, these sharks are elusive and rarely seen by humans.
Greenland sharks do not wash ashore “very often” but exact statistics are unknown, the institute told McClatchy News.
The shark was dissected to check for “eggs or embryos, which would have been extraordinary since no pregnant females have ever been found in inshore areas,” the institute told McClatchy News on Jan. 22. Biologists did not find any signs of pregnancy but noticed the shark had a very large liver, indicating it was likely about to reproduce.
Greenland shark reproduction remains mysterious, according to Britannica. Scientists believe that females begin reproducing after reaching about 13 feet in length — or about 150 years in age.
The institute said it took tissue samples from the dead shark and kept its head for further analysis.
Avannarliit is an area of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital city.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources.
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