A SHARKI that can live for 500 years has been spotted in the Caribbean after straying from its Arctic home.
The half-blind beast was spotted off the coast of Belize by a team of researchers who were out on a boat tagging tiger sharks with local fishermen.
Researchers were stunned when the Greenland shark appearedCredit: Florida International University / Devanshi Kasana
The sharks are among the world’s longest living creaturesCredit: @juniel85
The team put out a longline in bid to catch the sharks but couldn’t believe their eyes when the Greenland shark appeared.
Initially they thought the shark, which looked “really, really old, was dead but it sprung to life,” said Florida International University researcher Devanshi Kasana.
“It was just very surprising and confusing,” Kasana told NPR .
“As soon as it entered our field of vision, we saw a black figure that was getting bigger and bigger.
“When it came to the surface, none of the crew with all of their combined fishing experience had seen anything like that.”
Kasana took a picture of the creature and sent it to her supervisor who said it appeared to be a Greenland shark, one of the world’s longest living creatures.
It is believed to be the first time a Greenland shark has been spotted in the western Caribbean.
Experts think Greenland sharks dive deeper to find cooler water the further they stray from their natural habitat and can go down as far as 7000ft.
The water where the team was working can be as shallow as 25ft but drops steeply in places to reach more than 2,000 feet which could explain why they snared the ancient shark.
“It slopes suddenly and the depth goes really deep really fast,” Kasana said.
“We believe the line dragged from a much shallower depth to the drop-off, which is why we ended up catching this individual.”
“If we were to catch another individual it would be sheer luck, we don’t set our lines in a way that targets Greenland sharks.”
The team considered tagging the shark they didn’t want to incidentally hurt or 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 it in the name of science.
Instead they measured the shark, took notes and a photo, and then sent it on its way.
Greenland sharks grow approximately one-third of an inch per year and can reach more than 20 feet in length.
Researchers believe the sharks don’t reach 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual maturity until sometime after the first 100 years of their life.
Back in 2019, a Greenland shark believed to be the oldest living vertebrae was found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Experts used its length – a staggering 18ft – and radiocarbon dating to determine its age as between 272 and 512 years old, according to a study in journal Science.
The shark would have been alive during major world events like the founding of the United States, the Napoleonic wars and the sinking of the Titanic.
The team took photos and measurements then sent the shark on its wayCredit: Florida International University / Devanshi Kasana
