A hundred year old Greenland shark washed ashore

A shark carcass is first seen on the sand in Newlyn Harbor, Cornwall, on England’s southwest coast, on March 13. But before experts could examine it, the tide had come and swept the shark out to sea, according to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The shark was later found floating in Cornwall on March 15 by Mermaid Pleasure Trips and brought ashore.

Greenland sharks are extremely rare in the UK and this is the second recorded incident of a Greenland shark in the country. This is a valuable opportunity for scientists to study Greenland sharks, according to Abby Crosby, marine conservation officer and marine stranding network manager at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Green ground shark (Somniotic microcephaly) is distributed in the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean, at depths of up to 2,647 m, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A 2016 study in the journal Science estimates these sharks can live for at least 272 years, but scientists still have a lot to learn about them.

The shark that ran aground in Cornwall was an adult female shark measuring 4 meters long and weighing 285 kilograms. Although researchers have not yet determined their age, Greenland sharks usually reach maturity around the age of 150. They will continue to grow with age, with adults reaching lengths of up to 7.3 meters, according to St. Petersburg. Lawrence Shark Observatory (ORS).

James Barnett, animal pathologist with the Cornwall Marine Pathology Team, performed an autopsy on a shark carcass on March 16 for the Stranded Whale Program. “It looks like the animal ran aground while it was still alive and dead on the beach. It had been a long time since it had eaten and its stomach was completely empty,” said Barnett.

Barnett noticed the shark was showing signs of sepsis but it’s not clear why it ate nothing and ran aground in the shallow waters of Cornwall. There are many reasons, including disease, that can explain why marine animals run aground and die on shore, but the movement of ocean currents and many other ocean conditions also contribute to marine life and death.

Most of those washed up were common dolphin species, and they all died within 1km of shore, according to Crosby. Since Greenland sharks often swim far from shore, the chances of someone being swept away by ocean currents and actual weather conditions are rare. The specimen taken from the shark carcass will provide additional data for Greenland shark research such as understanding their life and diet, said Rob Deaville, project manager for the Zoological Society of London.

a khang (Based on Live Science)

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