{"id":138464,"date":"2026-07-31T18:52:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/138464\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:52:34","slug":"150-year-old-greenland-shark-washed-ashore-in-ireland-offering-new-clues-to-healthy-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/138464\/","title":{"rendered":"150-year-old Greenland shark washed ashore in Ireland, offering new clues to healthy aging"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Greenland shark<\/a> stranded in Ireland was more than 150 years old but may have only just reached reproductive age.Its eyes, DNA-repair systems and scarred 34-kilogram heart offer clues to how the species remains functional for centuries.Scientists found no clear cause of death, but preserved tissues may improve ageing research and conservation of the poorly understood shark.<\/p>\n

A three-metre Greenland shark lay on tidal flats in County Sligo in April 2026, far from the deep northern waters where its species usually lives. Its arrival marked Ireland\u2019s first recorded stranding of a Greenland shark and opened an unusual window into one of the ocean\u2019s least understood giants.<\/p>\n

The shark weighed more than 200 kilograms and was estimated to be over 150 years old. For humans, that age seems extraordinary. For a Greenland shark, it may represent only the beginning of adulthood.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a pity. This guy \u2013 it took him 150 years to get to the point where he could have reproduced, could have contributed to get the population on track, and may not have had the chance,\u201d said Emilie De Loose, a marine biologist at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Greenland sharks are considered the world\u2019s longest-living vertebrates. Estimates place their lifespan between roughly 300 and 500 years. Some animals alive today may have been born during Shakespeare\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all just in awe,\u201d De Loose said. \u201cIt\u2019s so mind-boggling to think how long that animal lived, and what it might have seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

A three-metre Greenland shark lay on tidal flats in County Sligo in April 2026, far from the deep northern waters where its species usually lives. (CREDIT: Ana Sanz\/ Irish Whale and Dolphin Group) A rare visitor reaches the laboratory<\/p>\n

Volunteers covered the body with seaweed to protect it from birds and other scavengers. The next day, a crane lifted the shark onto a lorry under the supervision of the National Museum of Ireland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At a regional veterinary laboratory, researchers wore masks, gloves and protective clothing while working in a ventilated space. The precautions reflected the uncertainty surrounding an animal that had survived for more than a century.<\/p>\n

The team examined the shark\u2019s organs, searched for wounds and collected tissue samples. Researchers also removed its eye lenses for radiocarbon dating, which may produce a more accurate age estimate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something very intimate about working with dead animals, because you really get to know the species,\u201d said Jasmine Stavenow Jerremalm, a marine ecology PhD researcher at University College Cork<\/a>. \u201cDead animals can tell us a lot about the living ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

A predator built for cold and darkness<\/p>\n

Greenland sharks live across North Atlantic and Arctic waters near Greenland, Canada and Iceland. They move slowly and feed on carcasses, but they can also catch live prey, including seals.<\/p>\n

Overfishing and climate change are the main driving factors for the diminishing number of Greenland sharks, though studies have shown that their metabolic enzymes are more active in warmer temperatures. Image shows people pulling a ca. 4-metres female Greenland Shark onto the sea ice. (CREDIT: S. Dennard \/ Wikimedia \/ CC BY-SA 4.0)) <\/p>\n

Powerful suction helps them draw animals into their mouths and swallow them whole. Lily Fogg, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Basel<\/a>, said they may ambush sleeping seals or take injured animals.<\/p>\n

Their bodies contain high concentrations of chemicals that act like antifreeze in cold water. Those same chemicals make their flesh poisonous.<\/p>\n

Yet scientists still do not know where the sharks mate or give birth. Only one pregnant female has ever been documented.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor such a large shark with a broad distribution, that is not really a rare species throughout most of its range, it\u2019s amazing how little we know about these sharks,\u201d said Brynn Devine, an Arctic fisheries scientist at Oceans North<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Centuries of life, but few reproductive clues<\/p>\n

The lack of reproductive information complicates conservation. Scientists cannot accurately estimate population size or identify habitats that matter most for mating and pupping.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven basic aspects of their biology and ecology are unknown,\u201d Devine said. \u201cFor example, we still do not know where their mating and pupping grounds are, and only one pregnant female has ever been observed so we don\u2019t even know for certain how many pups they have per pregnancy or how often they reproduce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenland shark eyes and retinas are actually intact and highly specialized for life in very dim light. (CREDIT: Wikimedia \/ CC BY-SA 4.0) <\/p>\n

That uncertainty makes accidental capture in fisheries harder to manage. A species that takes roughly 150 years to mature may recover slowly when adults die before reproducing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to protect a species effectively if you aren\u2019t sure what areas or habitats are most important for them for key behaviours like mating and pupping, as well as not knowing how often they reproduce or how many pups they have,\u201d Devine said. \u201cThere are lots of big mysteries that still need to be solved beyond how they live so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stranded shark showed no clear injuries from fishing gear or trauma. Researchers found abnormalities in one testicle and the spleen, but no clear evidence that either caused its death.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes you wonder, what happened?\u201d De Loose said. \u201cIt\u2019s sad because it\u2019s old by our standards, but it really had much of its life ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eyes and organs that appear built to last<\/p>\n

Greenland sharks were long described as nearly blind because parasites often attach to their eyes. Recent work instead indicates that their eyes and retinas remain intact and adapted to extremely dim conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir eyes and retinas are actually intact and highly specialized for life in very dim light,\u201d Fogg said. \u201cEven in individuals over a century old, the cells and molecular machinery needed for vision are still there and still look healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fogg compared the visual system to a low-light camera designed for the dark Arctic depths. She said the complex tissue appears capable of working for centuries.<\/p>\n

Researchers have also found unusually strong activity in genes linked to DNA repair. Because DNA damage<\/a> and repair are closely connected to ageing in animals, the pattern may help explain the shark\u2019s longevity.<\/p>\n

The animal\u2019s 34-kilogram heart carried some scarring associated with age, yet it appeared to have functioned normally. Its stomach, liver, digestive tract, skin and other tissues were preserved for later analysis.<\/p>\n

Practical implications of the research<\/p>\n

The preserved specimen gives scientists a rare biological record from a species that is difficult to observe alive. Future work may clarify how Greenland sharks maintain vision, repair cellular damage and preserve heart function across extraordinary lifespans.<\/p>\n

The findings may also improve conservation planning<\/a>. Better age estimates, reproductive data and habitat information could help identify where the sharks face the greatest risk from fishing bycatch.<\/p>\n

The National Museum of Ireland hopes to display the specimen for education, showing why one stranding matters for a species that matures so slowly.<\/p>\n

A shark that appeared built to endure reached shore without an obvious fatal injury. Its preserved body may continue supplying clues long after its death.<\/p>\n

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