Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus)

Greenland sharks have the longest lifespans of any vertebrate animals, possibly living up to 500 years old - half a millennia! Their long lifespans are a biproduct of their adaptations to surviving the subzero temperatures of the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. Without any way of regulating their internal body temperature, they swim extremely slowly and grow even slower to conserve as much energy as possible. As a slow apex predator, they employ a unique feeding strategy of “vacuuming” up sleeping prey with their mouth - approaching in total silence and submerged in the shadows. They remain buoyant by retaining waste products like urea within their bodies, which makes their flesh highly toxic when consumed. In Inuit legend, the first Greenland shark is referred to as Skalugsuak.