Greenland Sharks Trivia Quiz

Answer: North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans

As its name suggests, the Greenland shark's range is mainly in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Its slow metabolism allows it to live in the cold waters in these areas.

Answer: Eight to fifteen feet

Although Greenland sharks can grow larger, most have been observed to be between eight and fifteen feet. They typically weigh up to 400 kilograms (880 pounds). Males are usually smaller than females. These sharks range in colour from light grey to dark brown, and have thickset and rounded snouts, small eyes, and small fins.

The gills are also very small for a species as large as the Greenland shark.

Answer: True

In a study in 2016, scientists examined the eyes of Greenland sharks to determine their age. The lens of their eyes is metabolically inactive, with new layers added throughout its life. This is similar to rings in a tree. The scientists used radiocarbon dating in crystals found in the lenses of a sample of sharks.

The oldest shark, which was also the largest, was found to be 392 ± 120 years. The old shark in that sample could have been born just after Columbus discovered America!

Answer: About 150 years

In the study of Greenland sharks that was completed in 2016, scientists found that these sharks live a very long time. They also estimated that sharks must be about 150 years of age before they become capable of reproduction. This means that Greenland sharks that were born around the time of the US Civil war had just become mature enough to reproduce when the study was completed.

Answer: 10

In 2016 when the initial study of the Greenland shark took place, the length of the gestation period could not be determined. However it has been discovered that there are ten pups in the average litter. Greenland shark pups are typically 38-42 cm (15-17 in) long when first born.

Answer: Mammals and fish

Although the Greenland shark mainly eats fish, it has also been known to eat mammals. They have been found with the remains of seals, horses, moose and polar bears in their stomachs. In one case, an entire reindeer body was found inside a Greenland shark. They are known scavengers, and seem to be attracted by the smell of rotting meat and fish using their outstanding sense of smell.

Answer: Iceland

The Greenland shark's flesh is toxic due to high concentrations trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) that metabolizes into trimethylamine when eaten. This causes effects very similar to extreme drunkenness. In Iceland, the meat is treated by boiling in several changes of water, drying, or fermenting. It is then consumed as kęstur hįkarl, a delicacy in that country.

Answer: An old woman who washes her hair in urine.

There is a high urea content in the flesh of Greenland sharks. To explain this, the Inuit tell the story of Skalugsuak, which they say is the first Greenland shark. According to the legend, an old woman washed her hair with urine. When she dried her hair, the towel blew into the ocean and became Skalugsuak.

Answer: Bioluminescent crustaceans that attach to the shark's eyes.

Copepods are bioluminescent crustaceans that attach to the Greenland shark's eyes. Most scientists theorize that these crustaceans help to attract prey towards the shark's head where it is easily ingested by the shark. The copepods cause blindness in the Greenland shark, but this seems to be tolerated in exchange for the lure that they provide.

Answer: Extremely unlikely. No attacks were reported in the 20th century.

Greenland sharks are non-confrontational. Besides having a territory where humans don't typically swim, the sharks also swim at great depths. Researchers have recorded them diving to almost 8,000 feet, not a place where humans will be found diving.