AnAge entry for Somniosus microcephalus

Classification (HAGRID: 01507)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Chondrichthyes (Taxon entry)
            Order: Squaliformes
                Family: Somniosidae
                    Genus: Somniosus
Species: Somniosus microcephalus
Common name: Greenland shark

Maximum longevity: 392 years (wild)
Source: ref. 1153
Sample size: Small
Data quality: Acceptable
Observations: The Greenland shark is a slow growing species of shark found in Northern seas. Radiocarbon dating of eye lens nuclei revealed that these animals have the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species, with the oldest known female shark having a lifespan of 392 +/- 120 years [1153]. In one study levels of oxidative damage to proteins and oxidative enzymes were found not to be correlated with lifespan in these animals, despite being common markers of age. These findings could be explained by adaptations to cold water temperatures and deep dives [1154].

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

No information on metabolism is available.

[1154] Costantini et al. (2017), The Greenland shark: A new challenge for the oxidative stress theory of ageing? (PubMed)
[1153] Nielsen et al. (2016), Eye lens radiocarbon reveals centuries of longevity in the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) (PubMed)