How Greenland Sharks May Live for 400 Years

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026 02:46

Abigail Adams, the wife of the second US president, was born in 1744. Some Greenland sharks alive today may already have been swimming through the North Atlantic when she was born.

These large predatory sharks are unquestionably capable of living for centuries. Researchers established in 2016 that they can survive for at least 272 years, and they may live to around 400.

Exactly what gives Greenland sharks such exceptional longevity remains less clear. Their slow growth and low metabolic rate are among the proposed explanations, although research is continuing.

Scientists believe that revealing how these fish age may eventually support longer, healthier human lives. Humans are unlikely to make it to 400, but adding even a decade to average life expectancy would represent a major advance.

Ewan Camplisson is one of the scientists seeking answers. He has been investigating the sharks’ metabolism for evidence of how they age.

Greenland sharks and extraordinary longevity

"Better understanding the anatomy and adaptations of a long-lived species such as the Greenland shark may allow us to improve human health," Camplisson, a PhD student at the University of Manchester, told Business Insider.

A lifelong slow metabolism

Greenland sharks, found mainly in Arctic and North Atlantic waters, are slow-moving animals that grow to between 2.4 and 7 metres in length and can weigh up to 1.5 tonnes, according to National Geographic.

They prey on salmon, eels, seals and, if the opportunity arises, even polar bears. Yet they can probably endure lengthy periods without feeding. A 224 kg shark could manage on only 57 to 170 g of food per day, according to a 2022 study.

New work from Camplisson, presented earlier this month at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference, suggested that the sharks’ metabolic rate might not decline with age. This may help account for their unusually long lives.

That pattern differs from that of most animals, including people. Human metabolism, for instance, commonly slows in later life, potentially contributing to unhealthy weight gain.

Camplisson examined the activity of five metabolic enzymes in preserved muscle samples from Greenland sharks.

"In most species, you would expect as an animal ages for these enzymes' activity to vary," he said.

"Some of them will show reduction over time as they may begin to fail or degrade, while others will then compensate and increase in activity to make sure the animal still produces enough energy," he added.

In sharks estimated to be aged between 60 and 200 years, he detected no meaningful differences in enzyme activity. However, a 200-year-old Greenland shark may only be middle-aged, so this pattern may not continue into its third or fourth century.

Camplisson intends to study further enzymes to establish whether, and how, they alter as the sharks get older.

Greenland shark ageing research

Aging is complicated

Considerably more research is needed before findings of this kind can be applied to humans.

"Aging is an incredibly complex system, and we still don't have a definitive answer to how exactly it works," Camplisson said.

Metabolic changes are only one element of human ageing. Genetic mistakes, unstable proteins and various other mechanisms are included among the so-called "hallmarks of aging." Camplisson believes Greenland sharks may offer further lessons in these areas.

"We want to look closely at some of these hallmarks to determine if the Greenland shark shows any signs of traditional aging," he said.

Although the Greenland sharks’ striking ageing process has enabled them to survive for centuries, it may also leave them vulnerable as their habitat changes rapidly.

Camplisson said the species, classified as "Near Threatened" by the World Conservation Union, may adapt too slowly to climate change, marine pollution and other pressures.

Read the original article on Business Insider.