Greenland shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Greenland shark lives – recorded in 5 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Somniosus microcephalus
Group	Sharks
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	5 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Squaliformes
Family	Somniosidae

Where does the Greenland shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Greenland shark in 5 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Greenland shark endangered?

The Greenland shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Greenland shark?

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Squaliformes and the family Somniosidae, genus Somniosus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Greenland shark

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), also known as the grey shark or gurry shark, is a large shark of the family Somniosidae ("sleeper sharks"), closely related to the Pacific and southern sleeper sharks. Inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, they are notable for their exceptional longevity, although they are poorly studied because of the depth and remoteness of their natural habitat.

Greenland sharks have the longest lifespan of any known vertebrate, estimated to be between 272 and 510 years. They are among the largest extant shark species, reaching a maximum confirmed length of 6.4 m (21 ft) and weighing more than 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). They reach sexual maturity around 150 years of age and their pups are born alive after an estimated gestation period of 8 to 18 years.

The shark is a generalist feeder, consuming a variety of available foods, including carrion.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Greenland shark (revision 1379890535), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q370444 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).