Greenland Shark, Somniosus microcephalus, also known as the sleeper sharks, shark Harry, land sharks, gray sharks, or Eskimos Eqalussuaq, is a large sharks native to waters of the North Atlantic Ocean around Greenland and Iceland. These sharks live further north than any other shark species. They are closely related to the shark sleeping Pacific. This is one of the largest species of sharks, size, comparable to the Great White Shark. Great Greenland sharks grow to 6,4 m (21 feet) and 1000 kg (2200 lbs) , and possibly up to 7,3 m (24 feet). Pacific sleeper sharks rivals (possibly up to 7 meters or 23 feet), and the largest species in the family Somniosidae. Greenland sharks are known to be durable.
Greenland sharks are deep-water sharks, living at depths to 2000 meters (6600 feet), but the information shows that they inhabit shallow waters, as they were withdrawn in the depths as small as 8 meters (24 feet) at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in North America. Their stomachs contained the remains of fish and mammals such as seals, deer, horses and bears. The entire reindeer, minus its antlers, was found in the stomach contents of a shark Greenland. This view has been well documented as to the same, explaining many of the above records the contents of the stomach.
This shark is often the host of parasitic copepods, Ommatokoita elongata, which is attached to the cornea and corneal feeds shark as a result of scar tissue leads to partial blindness of the shark. Nevertheless, studies show, Greenland shark, probably, can detect light. Copepod is whitish-yellow creature that was said, glowing, but it was proven false American shark parasitologist George Benz. Some theorize that the function of copepods is to attract prey for sharks, as well as fishing bait. This is evidenced by the fact that these sharks are usually sluggish were found at a much faster moving animals (eg, squid) in the stomach. Nevertheless, the theory of copepods, serving as the bait is weakened by reports of Canadian researcher William Sommers in Arctic Canada, where he witnessed the Greenland shark grabbed caribou from the water’s edge. In fact, the population of St. Lawrence is particularly rely on the spot. Biologists know little shark reproduction and life cycle, aside from Ovoviviparity, its lifetime can be up to 200 years.
In the 2000′s, the Greenland shark is regularly observed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence estuary, where she swims in the deep and shallow water. The first shark observed by scientists from the St. Lawrence was a large and slow women v. Greenland shark St. Lawrence is not completely devoid of the parasite elongata Ommatokoita, although the number of samples without parasites do show signs of scarring of the cornea.
Greenland shark food
Greenland shark meat is poisonous. This is due to the presence of trimethylamine oxide toxin, which, after digestion, breaks down into trimethylamine, producing effects similar to extreme drunkenness. Occasionally, sled dogs, which will eventually eat the meat can not get up from the neurotoxins. Nevertheless, it can be eaten if it is boiled in several changes of water or dried or fermented for a few months for Kæstur Hákarl, often Hákarl for short. Previously, it was made to bury the shark in the northern areas, subjecting them to several cycles of freezing and thawing. It is considered a delicacy in Iceland and Greenland.
