Scientists Discover 400-Year-Old Greenland Shark Likely Born Around 1620

Greenland sharks are one of the largest cartilaginous fishes and one of the oldest or longest living vertebrate known to mankind. Most of the green land sharks are found in the cold-water environment such as the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean.

They are relatively bulky in shape, rounded body, they are usually grayish to brown in color, and their fins differ with accordance to body size of the sharks. A fully grown green land shark can grow up to 7 meters in length but the usual size is ranging from 2 to 4 meters in length.

(Photo : Photo by: Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Bjarnarhoefn. a local museum dealing with the iconic local speciality Hakarl. fermented meat of the greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). a protected species and the life on Snaefellsnes. Europe. northern Europe. Iceland. March.

These invertebrates are rarely found and discovered by humans. They usually hide in the deepest part of the ocean which the pressure is relatively high for humans without proper practice could die of too much pressure in the body. Green land sharks they are slow in movement (3 kilometers per hour is their standard speed rate) and they are sometimes referred to as "gray sharks" or "gurry sharks,".

This makes them friendly in appearance because of their non-aggressive movement unless been provoked. They also settle in regions (they can also be found in the north Atlantic Ocean near Iceland, Norway, and Canada) or places where there are no humans nearby.

Researchers' findings about the greenland sharks

Researchers have been studying these vertebrates for hundreds of years. The hold record for longest living vertebrates was 211 years of age. The researchers used what they call radiocarbon dating of eye proteins to determine the age of these sharks. Radiocarbon dating is using organic material by using radioactive isotope of carbon. This method has been a huge impact to archaeology and the discovery of life to animals.

A marine biologist named Julius Nielsen, said in an interview, "We had our expectations that we were dealing with an unusual animal, but I think everyone doing this research was very surprised to learn the sharks were as old as they were." This shows that there is a lot more mystery down the deep edges of the ocean that is unknown to mankind.

Also read: Hawaii Successfully Passed New Animal Protection Laws, Including Ban on Shark Killing

Whale Sharks live almost alike

Whale sharks are known to be the largest fish in the world. Though from the name it is referred as a whale but, in the Ichthyology, it is considered a shark. Whale sharks can grow up to 40 feet in length or 12 meters long. Most importantly like green land sharks, they are non-predatory. They have blunt snouts like the green land sharks and heads that are flattened in shape.

Whale sharks live in the deepest part of the ocean as well and exhibit the same social habits. They are fine with humans interacting with them. They are meat eaters and usually take planktons. According to National Geographic, whale sharks are picky eaters. They let the food go in and let their body filter out the food and excrete what is not necessary for their body intake.

Also read: Introvert Species: Wild Sharks in Gulf of Mexico Hunt in Shifts to Avoid Each Other