Sharks In The St Lawrence River

The St. Lawrence River flows through Canada and northern New York, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. It's a massive waterway filled with fish, boats, and plenty of ocean surprises. And occasionally...

Meet the St. Lawrence Sharks

Here's the thing. Sharks don't just live in the ocean. They show up in rivers too, and the St. Lawrence is one of their favorite hangouts.

The stars of this show are Greenland sharks. They're kind of like the grandpas of the shark world. Slow, ancient, and a little spooky.

Greenland sharks can live for nearly 400 years. Let that sink in. That's older than the United States, bro.

How Big Are These River Beasties?

Greenland sharks get HUUGE. We're talking up to 7 meters long. That's about the length of a school bus cruising down your local river.

They weigh around 1,000 kilograms too. Imagine a massive, slow-moving fish just lurking at the bottom. Cool and terrifying at the same time.

And here's the funny part. They move at a creepy crawl. Their max speed is about 1.5 miles per hour. Your grandma on a walk beats that pace easily.

The Weird Diet of Greenland Sharks

Greenland sharks have the strangest snack habits. They've been found with HUNDREDS of pieces of gear in their stomachs. Belts, straps, you name it. Imagine if someone ate a wardrobe on purpose.

Stock photo of Greenland sleeper shark (Somniosus microcephalus) St

Their most famous meal? Reindeer and moose. Yes, a water-dwelling shark ate a LAND animal. Somehow that happened, and nobody really knows how. Nature is wild like that.

Scientists Are Obsessed

Researchers can't stop studying these guys. In 2019, scientists captured four Greenland sharks near the St. Lawrence in Brier Island, Nova Scotia. They tagged them with GPS trackers and everything.

One of them came up with some very surprising photos. A nearby seal was caught on camera just chilling NEXT to a huge shark. That seal had zero survival instincts going on. Wild times.

The Geverkoff family, popular iceberg guides, even helped collect the samples. Turns out fishing crews catch these sharks all the time as bycatch. They always toss them back, which is great news.

Why Are They Even HERE?

The St. Lawrence is basically a highway for Greenland sharks. They swim in from the Atlantic, wander upriver, and then head back out. It's like their seasonal vacation spot.

GREAT WHITE SHARK WANDERS INTO QUEBEC'S ST. LAWRENCE RIVER CANADA

They love the cold, deep water in the area. It's like a giant swimming pool specifically designed for them. Everyone else hates the temperature. They think it's perfect.

Scientists believe the sharks use the river as a migration corridor. They might travel between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and other feeding grounds. A long, lazy, three-century journey. Impressive commitment.

Are They Dangerous?

Okay, the million-dollar question. Can these sharks hurt humans? Greenland sharks are technically the largest predatory fish living in the area. That sounds scary, right?

But here's the deal. They're almost entirely blind and slow. Some specimens were found with parasitic worms covering their eyes. You could swim right past one and it wouldn't even notice.

Also, they've never been reported to attack humans. Zero incidents. It's like being scared of a sloth with teeth. Just not that compelling.

Massive 1500 Pound Great White Shark Spotted Swimming at the Mouth of

Fun Facts to Win Any Trivia Night

Here's one to blow writing buddies. Greenland shark flesh is toxic when fresh. Locals in Iceland had to ferment it for weeks before eating it. Fresh Greenland shark is basically nature's poison pill.

Their flesh smells awful too. Darren Humphreys, a wildlife photographer, compared it to a fishy ammonia nightmare. Imagine the worst day of smelling ANYTHING. That's their raw smell.

Another nugget. Greenland sharks are considered near-threatened by scientists. They reproduce very slowly, taking about 15 years for babies to form. That's slower than a human driver on a Monday.

Final Thoughts

Sharks in the St. Lawrence are one of nature's coolest surprises. They're ancient, mysterious, and way funnier than people expect. Next time you're near the river, look down below.

Somewhere down there, a 400-year-old shark is probably swimming at exactly one mile per hour. And that, my friend, is absolutely magnificent.