Greenland Shark
Discovered: Unknown (Estimated To Be The 1200s)
Location: Northern Arctic Waters
The Greenland Shark is certainly one of the most unique animals on the planet. They have the distinction of being one of the longest living creatures on the planet today, with an average lifespan of between 250 to 500 years! They are also one of the largest sharks still living today. They’ll get to around 21 feet long and weigh around a ton, literally! As you might have guessed by its name, these sharks tend to be found in the waters of Greenland. But you can also find them in many other colder or arctic waters.
The natives of Iceland and Greenland tend to enjoy eating this type of shark, as it is considered a delicacy. The real problem with this is that the shark had to adapt to live at lower depths over long periods of time. To do this, it developed a high concentration of trimethylamine N-oxide in its tissues. That causes its meat to be toxic to humans, but it is also toxic to other animals that could possibly even try to prey on it. This makes the Greenland Shark relatively untouchable, on top of the fact that it is incredibly large. For humans to eat it, they have to reduce the toxin levels, which can take a while sometimes.