2026-01-18 20:42:19 /MISTERE & KURIOZITETE
A recent study in Nature Communications and Smithsonian magazine confirms: the rulers of the Arctic seas are the longest-lived vertebrates in the world. And their eyes may offer the cure for macular degeneration.
By Luca Zanini – Corriere della Sera
The oldest still “remember” the golden age, when the seas around and below these icy spaces were traversed only by Inuit kayaks, after the disappearance of the first Viking settlements in the 15th century. Some of them may have witnessed the arrival of the first European settlers on the largest non-continental island, led by the missionary Hans Egede, who began evangelizing it in 1721. And they are still alive. Some specimens may now be witnessing from the depths the battle for the annexation of the legendary Extrema, the Land of Thule that Donald Trump is determined to annex to the United States. They are the Greenland sharks, Somniosus microcephalus, rulers of the Arctic seas, considered the longest-lived vertebrates in the world.
Older than dinosaurs
These giant descendants of prehistoric Arctic marine predators (apparently evolved from cartilaginous fish that preceded plants and dinosaurs), which the Inuit call Eqalussuaq, can reach incredible ages: they are estimated to be over 500 years old. They have an average lifespan of about 400 years; some studied specimens have been dated to 392 years. Therefore, it is not impossible that the large sharks present at the beginning of the 18th century witnessed the landing of American troops and the new drilling for the exploitation of gas, oil, diamonds and rare earth deposits.
Surprisingly good viewing
As Sara Hashemi points out in a report published a few days ago in Smithsonian Magazine, Greenland sharks owe their longevity to their extremely slow growth (only 1 centimeter per year; they reach sexual maturity at around 150 years of age) and advanced genetic DNA repair mechanisms. This regeneration system prevents vision deterioration; despite living mostly at depth (they can reach up to 3,000 meters from the ocean surface) where light barely penetrates. Some scientists suspected that these creatures were practically blind due to pesky parasites living in their eyes, but recent studies – published on January 5 in Nature Communications – have revealed that they appear to have surprisingly good vision thanks to segments of DNA that allow them to repair themselves almost throughout their lives.
Source: Alpha Press