The Greenland shark can live for hundreds of years thanks to a mechanism that scientists have just explained. This discovery once again shows the biological consequences of the climate crisis: the oceans will continue to warm, endangering the previously record-breaking life expectancy of these vertebrates.
The Greenland shark (Microcephalic somnios)) lives on average 270 years, some specimens have even reached over 270 years four centuries. Researchers have long believed that this longevity is related to its environment: in fact, the Greenland shark lives in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, to a depth of 2,774 meters, where the water is can reach negative temperatures. To survive, its organism must maintain its characteristics heatheat to the maximum, execute the least MovementsMovements possible and moves very slowly – which does not prevent this large carnivore from catching prey such as seals or squid ten times faster than itself. But what exactly is this “preservation” through cold?
To live long, you have to slow down…
The answer to this question was presented at the conference of Society for Experimental Biologywhich took place in Prague from 2 to 5 July. The main author of the study and PhD student at the University of Manchester, Ewan Camplissonexplains that the longevity of these sharks could be related to the fact that their metabolic activity is stable over time.
Did you know?
Metabolism refers to the chemical processes by which enzymes convert nutrients into energy. In most living organisms, metabolic activity declines over time, resulting in a reduction in cellular energy production, a slowdown in tissue regeneration, and impaired detoxification of the body.
To investigate this phenomenon, the researchers measured the activity of five EnzymesEnzymes different, taken from muscle samples of 23 Greenland sharks and then determined the age of each specimen using the estimation model disclosed in a Study published in 2016Result: They could not observe any change in activity enzymaticenzymatic between different age groups. If this discovery helps to explain that Longevity of Greenland sharksit also raises an immediate problem regarding their survival.
Is the shark really the most dangerous animal in the world? The answer (and the price list) in Science or Fiction. © Futura
…in view of accelerating warming?
You should know that enzymatic activity tends to increase with temperature, and the results of this study are no exception to the rule. Is this good news? NO. THE Climate estimates indicate that the Surface temperature of the sea should increase by 1.2 to 3.2°C by 2100and accordingly WWFThe average temperature in the Arctic has already risen three times faster than the global temperature. Greenland sharksthis means an increase metabolismmetabolismand therefore probably a reduction inLife expectancyLife expectancy. Especially since they reach sexual maturity very late: they have to wait about 150 years before they can reproduce. Therefore, there is a risk that they die before they even give birth to a young one, and at this stage the survival of an entire species is at risk.