Finisklin: A rare Greenland shark, believed to be at least 150 years old, has been discovered washed ashore in County Sligo, Ireland, in an extraordinary find. The shark, measuring around 2 metres, was found at Finisklin and is the first recorded stranding of its kind on the Irish coast.

Initially mistaken for a basking shark, the discovery was reported to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). However, photographs later confirmed the true identity of the species.

“On the evening of Saturday, April 11th, the IWDG Live Stranding hotline received a report of a two-metre dead basking shark. Photos from the finders James and Hammad, quickly confirmed however that this was not a basking shark and indeed a very rare and interesting stranding,” the IWDG said.

Greenland sharks are among the most mysterious creatures in the ocean and are known to inhabit deep, cold waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The species is believed to have the longest lifespan of any known vertebrate, with some individuals living for more than 500 years.

The IWDG noted that the “oldest recorded specimen was” over half a millennium in age”, highlighting the extraordinary longevity of the species.

Typically growing between 4 to 6 metres in length, these sharks thrive in extreme environments where temperatures often drop below freezing. Their slow way of life allows them to conserve energy and they rely heavily on their keen sense of smell to locate food, compensating for the shark being blind.

Scientists say Greenland sharks reach sexual maturity only at around 150 years of age and have an unusually long gestation period of eight to 18 years.

The shark found in Sligo was identified as a male and was said to “have had very developed claspers, perhaps on the brink of maturity”.

The carcass has now been transferred to the Natural History Museum of Ireland (NHMI), where experts will conduct a detailed examination.