2023-12-01 21:28:43
At 518 years old, the oldest animal on the planet appeared near Belize, in the Caribbean, thousands of kilometers from its natural habitat. The Greenland shark lives in the Arctic, in extremely cold and deep waters. Therefore, it is less studied than other species and its appearances are considered rare. According to scientists, these sharks can live for at least 400 years, twice the life expectancy of the longest-lived land animal, the giant turtle.
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Animal is one of the largest in the world
The Greenland shark is known for being slow and its scientific name, somniosus microcephalus, means “small-headed sleepy”. It is believed that the animal reaches reproductive maturity around 150 years of age. world and are close in size to the famous white sharks, reaching up to 6.4 meters in length and weighing up to a thousand kilos. The most recent sighting was made by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) and scientists believe that global warming may be interfering with the animal’s behavior. The information is from The globe.Greenland Shark (Image: Dotted Yeti/Shutterstock)
Sightings are extremely rare
Ingesting the meat of these sharks can induce symptoms similar to severe drunkenness in humans, and the neurotoxins present can be disabling. The toxicity is related to trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) found in the animals’ meat tissues, an adaptation that helps them resist the adverse effects of intense cold and high water pressure.
Although there are ancient legends about attacks on kayaks, there are no documented records related to Greenland sharks. Furthermore, it is extremely unlikely to see the animal. The first filming of this species only took place in 1995, and it took another 18 years to obtain a video that portrayed them in their natural habitat.
Although all sharks are cold-blooded, this particular species thrives in extremely cold environments. Greenland sharks prefer to remain in waters ranging from -1°C to 10°C, migrating to colder regions each season. They are the only sharks known to tolerate arctic conditions year-round.
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