Rare, Century-old Greenland shark washed up in Cornwall considered a Juvenile

The Greenland shark washed up on a Cornish beach last month , the results of an autopsy state it died from meningitis , sad news for this Greenland shark as at just 100 years old it's still a juvenile by Greenland shark standards.

I've never heard of them before but it seems they are the longest living vertebrates in the world with a lifespan of over 400 years.

"The shark's body was in poor condition and there were signs of haemorrhage within the soft tissue around the pectoral fins which, coupled with the silt found in her stomach, suggested she may well have live stranded," Mr Barnett said.

"As far as we're aware, this is one of the first post-mortem examinations here in the UK of a Greenland shark and the first account of meningitis in this species."
Rob Deaville, project lead for the CSIP, said: "This unfortunate and extraordinary stranding has allowed us to get an insight into the life and death of a species we know little about.
news.sky.com...

The video below shows a Greenland shark estimated to be about 512 years old , it was alive around the time European settlers arrived on the American mainland and the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec empire.


How's that for history in motion.

Cool article

Such interesting sharks, maybe one of the longest living things, besides tree's..lol I have heard lobsters can get very old too, some tortoises get in the hundreds, croc's too.

I think sharks in general are very interesting to science. They don't get cancer, is I'm sure, very interesting to medical research!

a reply to: vonclod

I think sharks are one of the creatures nature got right first time and didn't need to change much , fascinating animals.

a reply to: gortex

Another great story Thanks G man

Very interesting and thought provoking, how would a human be mentally if they lived for 500years

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: vonclod

I think sharks are one of the creatures nature got right first time and didn't need to change much , fascinating animals.

No doubt, not much has changed in them for around a hundred million years..probably more. Same with Crocodiles, I guess they just grew to more economical/efficient sizes.

They are very cool animals. Good post. It looks so happy to see that diver haha

originally posted by: UpThenDown
a reply to: gortex

Another great story Thanks G man

Very interesting and thought provoking, how would a human be mentally if they lived for 500years

That 500+ year old shark has it made, blissfully unaware, unburdened

But it's an interesting question..what kind of person would 500 years of life produce? Could be fantastic, or..

a reply to: UpThenDown

I doubt we'd be able to cope very well with parasites attaching themselves to our eyes , imagine the relief when it dies and the dispare when you pick up another one.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: UpThenDown

I doubt we'd be able to cope very well with parasites attaching themselves to our eyes , imagine the relief when it dies and the dispare when you pick up another one.

No doubt, that must be so irritating, I see some pretty terrible videos of tick infestations, man I feel for those poor critters

I doubt if I will live five hundred fifty years. I am presently three hundred thirty two years old. I chose to trans my age to cat years since it is now socially acceptable to change yourself in middle of your life.

a reply to: gortex

How's that for history in motion.

I think I like it

SnF

originally posted by: vonclod
Cool article

Such interesting sharks, maybe one of the longest living things, besides tree's..lol I have heard lobsters can get very old too, some tortoises get in the hundreds, croc's too.

I think sharks in general are very interesting to science. They don't get cancer, is I'm sure, very interesting to medical research!

That sharks don't get cancer is a fallacy.

originally posted by: VierEyes

originally posted by: vonclod
Cool article

Such interesting sharks, maybe one of the longest living things, besides tree's..lol I have heard lobsters can get very old too, some tortoises get in the hundreds, croc's too.

I think sharks in general are very interesting to science. They don't get cancer, is I'm sure, very interesting to medical research!

That sharks don't get cancer is a fallacy.

I see information has changed a bit, but it still appears to be rare, and some sharks do appear to be resistant.
magazine.scienceconnected.org...

CANCER AND IMMUNITY GENES
To begin, the researchers looked at two shark immunity genes known as legumain and Bag1. Both these genes have counterparts in humans. In humans, their overexpression (producing more RNA protein than they should) is well known to be associated with a whole range of cancers. These genes in sharks, however, have changed as a result of evolutionary natural selection. Unlike those in humans, these two genes appear to give sharks antitumor properties.

“Several studies have demonstrated antitumor properties of shark-derived compounds in lab studies,” Shivji explains. “It’s intriguing that we are now seeing evidence of evolutionary adaptation in these specific shark immunity genes, which just happen also to be involved in promoting cancer in humans.”