VulnerablePolar Bear
Ursus maritimus
One of the 26 sharks on WAnimals
Cartilaginous fish · Squaliformes · Somniosidae
Somniosus microcephalus
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
It is the longest-lived vertebrate known in the world, with a lifespan of at least 272 years confirmed by radiocarbon dating of the lens of its eye, and it does not reach sexual maturity until around 150 years old.
Weight
900 kg – 1.4 t
Size
5 m – 7.3 m
Life expectancy
272 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sources consulted: FishBase · A-Z Animals · Animalia.bio · Science (Nielsen et al. eye lens radiocarbon study) · National Geographic · Britannica · ScienceDirect (viviparity reproduction study) · bioRxiv (Greenland shark genome study)
Best time: All year round in cold, deep water of the North Atlantic and the Arctic; in winter it comes near the surface in the fjords of Greenland and Iceland.
The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 16 of 22.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Greenland Shark — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The greenland shark is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 6 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about greenland shark.
