My first born likes sharks and has been reading books about sharks. I myself am also interested in sharks as I made a post about shark species a long long time ago. I love the fact that there are so many species of sharks and most of them look insanely awesome.
A few days ago, I stumbled upon a post about the Greenland shark on reddit and really excited to share it with you guys.
As read in the title, this type of shark is the world's oldest vertebrate as it can live up to hundred of years. One particular Greenland shark that was tagged in 1936 and recaptured in 1952 was estimated to be between 272 to 512 years of age. Even at the minimum number which is 272, the longevity is definitely astounding.
Now, in the above picture, you can see that the shark has something in its eye. That is actually a parasite that grows on its eyeball causing it to be blind. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Greenland sharks dwell in the deep ocean so they can't really see even if their eyes work well. Besides, the parasite is bioluminescent so it glows in the dark and attract prey for the shark to eat. It's yuk but it's not that bad for the shark.
The Greenland sharks don't look as scary as most sharks like the Great White and Mako but it is actually and apex predator as it often been found with beluga whale, seal and polar bears remains in them. Nobody has really seen them hunt so we don't really know how Greenland sharks manage to eat such huge animals but some scientists believe that they feed on hurt or exhausted animals.
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