AnAge entry for Somniosus microcephalus
Classification (HAGRID: 01853)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes (Taxon entry)
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Somniosidae
Genus: Somniosus
- Species
- Somniosus microcephalus
- Common name
- Greenland shark
- Synonyms
- Squalus microcephalus
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- 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].
Life history traits (averages)
- Female sexual maturity
- 56,940 days
- Male sexual maturity
- Adult weight
Metabolism
No information on metabolism is available.
References
- [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)
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- ITIS 160611
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account (if available)
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
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- Images
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- Internet
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