The Greenland Shark
Take the Greenland shark for instance. This marine giant can live over 500 years, making it the longest-living vertebrate on Earth. Growing slowly to lengths of up to 24 feet, these sharks inhabit the cold, deep waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, often found at depths of around 7,200 feet. Their flesh contains trimethylamine oxide, a toxin that can cause symptoms akin to drunkenness, leading native Greenlanders to call a drunken state “shark-sick.”
The Goblin Shark
Then there’s the goblin shark, a living fossil with a face only a mother could love dating back 125 million years. With its long, flat snout and protruding jaws filled with needle-like teeth, it’s a sight to behold. Found at depths of up to 4,265 feet, the goblin shark’s flabby body and large liver keep it buoyant. These slow swimmers are ambush predators, feeding on squid and fish with jaws that can extend outward to catch unsuspecting prey.