Greenland Shark

ocean · deep-sea · slow-living · Arctic

Amazingly long-lived. Greenland sharks can live for over 400 years, making them among the longest-living animals ever discovered. Some scientists think they might even reach 500 years old.

Lives in cold waters. These sharks live in the freezing depths of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, where few other creatures can survive. They prefer waters so cold and deep that humans rarely see them.

Moves super slowly. Greenland sharks swim at less than 1 mile per hour, the slowest speed of any known shark. This slow pace might actually help them live so incredibly long.

Often blind hunters. Many Greenland sharks have parasites living on their eyes that can actually blind them, yet they still manage to catch fish and seals to eat. Scientists still aren't sure exactly how they hunt without sight.

Deep mystery. We know surprisingly little about Greenland sharks because they live so far down in the ocean that they're nearly impossible to study in their natural home.