The Greenland shark is one of the largest living species of shark. It usually grows 6. 4m long and weighs 1,000 kg. The species has been spotted at a depth of 2,200 metres. It migrates annually based on depth and temperature, although some do travel further.
About Greenland shark in brief
The Greenland shark is one of the largest living species of shark. It usually grows 6. 4 m long and weighs 1,000 kg. It is an apex predator and mostly eats fish, and has been observed actively hunting seals in Canada. The Greenland shark has the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species. It has a high concentration of trimethylamine N-oxide in its tissues, which causes the meat to be toxic. Greenland shark flesh, treated to reduce toxin levels, is eaten in Iceland as a delicacy known as kæstur hákarl. It swims at 1. 22kmh, with its fastest cruising speed reaching 2. 6kmh. The species has been spotted at a depth of 2,200 metres by a submersible investigating the SS SS Central America. It migrates annually based on depth and temperature, although some do travel further than this. During the winter, the sharks congregate in the shallows in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean for warmth. The sharks have frequently been observed gathering around fishing boats. It also scavenges on seals. Although such a large shark could easily consume a human swimmer, the frigid waters it typically inhabits make the likelihood of attacks on humans very low, and no cases of predation on people have been verified.
The shark is known to be a scavenger, and is attracted by the smell of rotting meat in the water. It can approach prey undetected by opening their large buccal cavity in order to create a suction that draws in the prey. Using their cryptic coloration, they can approach undetected before closing the remaining distance by opening the large buCCal cavity. The largest of these sharks were found having eaten redfish, as well as other higher trophic level prey. The prey found in the stomachs of Greenland sharks is an indicator of the active hunting patterns of these predators. The biggest Greenland sharks that are greater than 200cm were discovered eating prey such as epibenthic and benthic fishes as well and seals. Because this top speed is only half that of a typical seal, biologists are uncertain how the sharks are able to ambush them while they sleep. It may be that they ambush the seals faster than the seals are able to prey on the seals because they are faster than them.
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This page is based on the article Greenland shark published in Wikipedia (as of Jan. 04, 2021) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
