Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus)- one of the the most mysterious, longest-lived and largest sharks in the world. It lives in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic, where it spends most of its life in the dark at great depths.
What makes this shark unique?
✅ More than 400 years old-the longest among vertebrates
✅ Almost blind due to parasitic crustaceans on her eyes
✅ One of the slowest swimmers among sharks
✅ It feeds on dead animals, and sometimes even hunts live mammals.
This article will tell you about its incredible life, biology, behavior, nutrition, reproduction and threatswhich it encounters.
Scientific classification
🔬 Classification of the bowhead shark:
✔ The Kingdom: Animals (Animalia)
✔ Type: Chordal (Chordata)
✔ Class: Cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes)
✔ Row: Katran-like (Squaliformes)
✔ Family: Somniotic diseases (Somniosidae)
✔ Gender: Somnolence (Somniosus)
✔ View: Somniosus microcephalus
📌 Interesting!
Title microcephalus from Latin means ”Malogolovy "which hints at the relatively small head of this shark.
Appearance and anatomy
, Main Features:
✔ Length: 4-6. 5 m (maximum fixed-7.3 m)
✔ Weight: 700-1000 kg (record – 1400 kg)
✔ Life span: up to 400 years (!)
🔹 Appearance:
✅ Massive body with rough skin covered with scalloped scales
✅ The head is small and rounded
✅ The eyes are small and often infested with parasites
✅ Color: grey, brown or almost black
✅ The pectoral and caudal fins are relatively small
📌 Interesting!
The bowhead shark powerful jaws and extremely sharp teethwhich can cut through even the thick fat of seals.
Habitat and distribution
🌍 Where does the bowhead shark live?
She's dating in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, Arctic and North Pacific oceans.
🔹 Typical habitats:
✅ Depths from 200 to 2200 m
✅ Water temperature -1°C to +5°C
✅ Polar seas, fjords, deep-sea depressions
📌 Interesting!
During the warmer months, bowhead sharks can climb closer to the surface, and in winter-go down to great depths.
Lifestyle and behavior
🔹 Basic behavioral traits:
✔ One of the slowest sharks - driving speed is only 1.2 km / h
✔ Can be either a hermit or live in groups
✔ It often feeds on dead animals
✔ Withstands extreme pressure and low temperatures
📌 Interesting!
The bowhead shark is called "sleeping shark" because of its slowness, but it can sharply attack prey.
Food
Bowhead Shark – an omnivorous predator and scavenger of the ocean depths.
🔹 What does she eat?
✅ Dead animals (fish, seals, cetaceans)
Живые Live marine mammals (sometimes hunted by seals)
✅ Large fish, shellfish, crustaceans
✅ Jellyfish, squid
🔹 Hunting methods:
✔ Ambush and surprise attack
✔ Eating whale carcasses that settle to the bottom
✔ Seal hunting under the ice
📌 Interesting!
In the stomachs of these sharks were found remains of polar bears, reindeer and even dogs!
Reproduction and development
🔹 Features of reproduction:
✅ Refers to oviparous sharks
✅ Is carrying 10 to 15 embryos
✅ Cubs are born in length 40-50 cm
📌 Interesting!
Bowhead sharks they grow very slowly-only 1 cm per year, so females reach sexual maturity at about 150 years old!
Life span
🔹 Why do they live so long?
✔ Slow metabolism
✔ Cold environment slows down cell aging
✔ Almost no natural enemies
📌 Interesting!
Research has proven that the oldest specimen found was about 400 years oldWhat makes this shark the longest-lived vertebrate in the world!
Natural enemies and threats
🔹 Natural enemies:
⚠ Killer whales and other large predators
⚠ Other bowhead sharks (possible cannibalism)
🔹 Threats from humans:
⚠ Industrial catch in the past (her liver was used to make fat)
⚠ Ocean pollution and climate change
📌 Interesting!
Due to the toxicity of its meat, the bowhead shark it has no commercial significance, although in some regions it is prepared in a special way (for example, haukarl in Iceland).
Interesting facts about the bowhead shark
✔ It can live for more than 400 years
✔ Its meat contains toxic substances
✔ One of the slowest sharks in the world
✔ Sometimes it hunts seals by sneaking up from below
✔ It can dive to a depth of more than 2000 m
Conclusion
Bowhead Shark – a living legend of the ocean depths. It is a symbol of durability, endurance and adaptation to extreme conditions.
📢 This Arctic predator still hides many secrets that are just beginning to be revealed to scientists! 🦈❄️
