Greenland shark
Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
The greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Somniosidae in the order Squaliformes. It is placed in the class Elasmobranchii and the genus Somniosus, and its scientific name carries the authority (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).
Quick facts about the greenland shark
The IUCN Red List assesses the greenland shark globally as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category. Its lifespan is reported at up to 500 years.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 6.4 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 500 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the greenland shark
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the greenland shark live?
Not recorded
What is the greenland shark?
The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), also known as the grey shark or gurry shark, is a large shark of the family Somniosidae ("sleeper sharks"), closely related to the Pacific and southern sleeper sharks. Inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, they are notable for their exceptional longevity, although they are poorly studied because of the depth and remoteness of their natural habitat.
Greenland sharks have the longest lifespan of any known vertebrate, estimated to be between 272 and 510 years. They are among the largest extant shark species, reaching a maximum confirmed length of 6.4 m (21 ft) and weighing more than 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). They reach sexual maturity around 150 years of age and their pups are born alive after an estimated gestation period of 8 to 18 years.
The shark is a generalist feeder, consuming a variety of available foods, including carrion.
Greenland shark meat is made toxic to mammals by high levels of trimethylamine N-oxide, although a treated form of it is eaten in Iceland as the pungent delicacy kæstur hákarl. Because they live deep in remote parts of the northern oceans, Greenland sharks are not considered a threat to humans. A possible attack occurred in August 1936 on two British fishermen, but the species was never identified.
From the Wikipedia article “Greenland shark” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenland_shark&oldid=1384325332), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the greenland shark endangered?
The greenland shark is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.
How is the greenland shark classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classElasmobranchii
- orderSqualiformes
- familySomniosidae
- genusSomniosus
- SpeciesSomniosus microcephalus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Synonyms Laemargus microcephalus, Leiodon echinatum, Scymnus glacialis, Scymnus gunneri, Scymnus micropterus, Somniosus brevipinna, Squalus borealis, Squalus microcephalus, Squalus norvegianus
Other names and names in other languages (40)
- Gray sharkEnglish
- Ground sharkEnglish
- Gurry sharkEnglish
- Sleeper sharkEnglish
- Southern sleeper sharkEnglish
- morgi'r Ynys LasWelsh
- Morgwn yr Ynys LasWelsh
- havkalDanish
- GrønlandshajDanish
- EishaiGerman
- GrönlandhaiGerman
- tiburón árticoSpanish
- Tiburón BorealSpanish
- tiburón de GroenlandiaSpanish
- Tollo De GroenlandiaSpanish
- leicheFrench
- laimargueFrench
- laimargue atlantiqueFrench
- laimargue du GroenlandFrench
- lamairgue du GroenlandFrench
- Requin dormeurFrench
- requin du GroenlandFrench
- arktinis ryklysLithuanian
- håkjerringNorwegian Bokmål
- apekalDutch
- Groenlandse haaiDutch
- håkjerringNorwegian Nynorsk
- håmærNorwegian Nynorsk
- rekin polarnyPolish
- акула полярнаяRussian
- Akula PoliarnaiaRussian
- hoakeretNorthern Sami
- áhkalakkisNorthern Sami
- áhkolakkisNorthern Sami
- grenlandski morski pesSlovenian
- håkäringSwedish
- HaakjaringenSwedish
- HaaskjardingenSwedish
- Grönland köpek balığıTurkish
- Акула полярна гренландськаUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the greenland shark
Other species in the same genus Somniosus.
Pacific sleeper shark
Somniosus pacificus
Little sleeper shark
Somniosus rostratus
Blimp shark
Somniosus antarcticus
Frog shark
Somniosus longus
Taiwan sleeper shark
Somniosus cheni
CompareGreenland shark vs Pacific sleeper sharkGreenland shark vs Little sleeper sharkGreenland shark vs Blimp sharkGreenland shark vs Frog shark
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the greenland shark?
The greenland shark is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, classified in the family Somniosidae and the order Squaliformes.
What is the scientific name of the greenland shark?
Its scientific name is Somniosus microcephalus, in the genus Somniosus.
Who named the greenland shark and when?
The authority for its scientific name is (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).
Is the greenland shark endangered?
The greenland shark is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does the greenland shark live?
Its lifespan is reported at up to 500 years.
What other names does the greenland shark have?
Other English names for it are Gray shark, Gurry shark, Ground shark, Sleeper shark and Southern sleeper shark.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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CreatureData. (2026). Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greenland-shark
“Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greenland-shark.
@misc{greenland_shark_2026,
title = {Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greenland-shark},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}