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Greenland Shark lives in cold water and often found in great depth 180 to 730 meter. They inhabit water where the temperature is between 2 and 7degree Celsius and these are the only species to be found in this cold water regularly. In winter they are found near the surface and near the edge of ice flows.
The color of this Greenland Shark varies slightly. Adults can be found to be brown, black, purplish gray or slate gray and the sides may have a purple tinge or dark bands or white spots. They have small eyes and have spiracle above and behind it. The teeth of the lower jaw are larger and broader with strongly oblique cups where as the teeth of the upper jaw are not particularly large but narrow and pointed with smooth edge. The caudal fin is asymmetrical and both the dorsal fins are small and of equal size. No anal fin can be found.
Greenland Shark is present in North Atlantic Ocean in polar latitudes. They can be also seen in further South in the Gulf of Maine occasionally. They are also found as far as Cape Hatteras occasionally. In the Atlantic they inhabit the space from Baffin Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the Scotia Shelf. At times they are also found near the mouths of river. They live on a diet of capelin, char, salmon etc. Canadian fishermen often catch them.
The largest specimen of these Greenland Sharks was 6.4 meters long and its weight was 1,022kg. However the average size of an adult shark is 3.5 – 5 meter, while young sharks are generally 238 cm in size. These are very slow growing animals, grow 1cm in a year.
Greenland Shark was fished for its liver oil in Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Due to there size these Greenland Shark are quite dangerous.
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