Greenland Shark Eye Parasite, Amazing Shark Facts From An Expert

The greenland shark somniosus microcephalus also known as the gurry shark grey shark or by the kalaallisut name eqalussuaq is a large shark of the family somniosidae sleeper sharks closely related to the pacific and southern sleeper sharks.

Atrakcje turystyczne berlina po niemiecku. Ommatokoita elongata and ommatokoita. Recent research found that greenland sharks can live upwards of 300 years. The eyes are very small and they contain spiracles behind and above them.

The parasites cause severe visual impairment but it is thought that the sharks do not rely on keen eyesight for their survival. Very varied diet from bony fish to sharks seals and porpoises and even dead animals. It was speculated that the copepod may be bioluminescent and thus form a mutualistic.

These pinkish white parasites are called copepods and they attach themselves to the greenland sharks cornea. The distribution of this species is mostly restricted to the waters of the north atlantic ocean and arctic ocean. But theyre slow moving plagued by parasites and on rare occasions have been known to eat rotting polar bear carcasses.

However if youre either the pacific sleeper shark somniosus pacificus or greenland shark somniosus microcephalusit is likely that you will see nothing all thanks to an ectoparasite on your eye. Although the greenland shark usually has only one copepod per eye berland 1961 deduced that the round scars over the cornea of these sharks are probably former attachment sites of the parasite. So how do greenland sharks catch anything.

Ommatokoitacurrently there are only two known species. The greenland shark lives under the ice of the frozen arctic ocean. Unexpectedly the majority of these sharks are blind due to the fact that they have parasites hanging from their eyes.

Blinded by an eye eating parasite. The parasite rubs on the surface of the sharks eye and eventually blinds the shark. In some populations 90 of greenland sharks carry these parasites.

The shark that rammed the harbor branch submersible had them dangling from its eyes. Greenland sharks hunt mainly with their nose and do not seem to suffer. The twitter thread went on to say that the greenland sharks which live in arctic waters can live 500 years have glowing parasites attached to their eyes and are eaten in a fermented.