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The Greenland shark

Today I bring you another animal from the ultra sea, this is one of the animals which has been recorded as the longest age in the life of a species. I am talking about the oldest and largest Greenland shark of its species. Come with me to get to know some of its main characteristics.

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It is also known under the name of Boreal shark belongs to the large family of dogfish which have been recorded according to the study of marine biologists more than 120 different species being the Greenland shark the largest in its genus.

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They usually live in depths ranging from 0 to 2200 meters deep sea, it is easier to find them at greater depths, also because of its large size is considered one of the slowest in all oceans, can move in the water at a speed of 0.34 meters per second.

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As its name indicates it lives in the waters of Greenland making it one of the few marine animals that can live in extremely cold conditions, it can withstand temperatures from - 0.5 degrees Celsius below zero to 11 degrees Celsius.

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But it is no coincidence that our icy friend can withstand extreme cold, any fish in temperate or tropical waters would become a real ice cube, while the Greenland shark can live quietly thanks to an antifreeze compound of organic origin that this present in his body called TMAO, is also slow because of it, the colder the less movement will have the shark as a mechanism to static or slow down his body allowing him to live one more day.

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The size of this enormous shark out of series can reach a maximum of 5 meters in length normally and some recorded cases that exceed 6 meters in length and its total weight is 1 ton.

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The great majority of these specimens suffer from partial blindness, due to the presence of a parasite in their eyes called copedodo (Ommatokoita elongata) that feeds on their eye tissue, apart is considered one of the oldest vertebrates on the planet because they can live at least 272 years, but specimens have been recorded that are believed to have more than 400 years of life.

It is believed that much of the longevity that can reach the Greenland shark is due to the low temperatures in which they live, with that slowed down of their vital functions manages to stay active and reduces aging.

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As for their food we can say that they feed more on squid than other marine species, although dead specimens have been found remains of polar bears, horses, reindeer and moose, the immediate explanation is that apart from consuming large amounts of squid can also be a scavenger eating polar bears that die and fall into the water.

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As everything is slow I assumed that their sexual maturity would also come a little late, to be ready to procreate the shark must wait about 155 years of life, a truly amazing figure as the age until which it can live.

Thanks to a large concentration of a toxin called triethylamine oxide the meat of this great specimen are not seeking to eat, the toxin can become deadly so this shark is not in danger of extinction.