Biologists have found a mysterious coldwater shark thousands of kilometers away from its natural habitat, according to a recent marine study.
The longest living vertebrate on Earth, with a staggering lifespan of 250 to 500 years, the Greenland shark was discovered in the Tropical Caribbean Sea.
“We suddenly saw a very slow-moving, sluggish creature below the water’s surface. It looked like something that would have existed in prehistoric times,” said Devanshi Kasana, a biologist and Devanshi Kasana from Florida International University’s Lab of Predator Ecology and Conservation. said.
The discovery raised the question of whether this Greenland shark migrated from Arctic waters to the Caribbean, or whether it spent most of its life deep within the region’s tropical waters.
That question remains unanswered, but it is highly probable that more of the mysterious creatures are lurking in the dark depths of the Caribbean.
Greenland sharks live thousands of meters underwater, in total darkness, and are rarely seen.
Very few details are known about their incredibly long lives.
They grow, move and age slowly in the depths of the water.
Energy-saving, slow-paced lifestyles are an important adaptation to nutrient-poor deep seas.