Ice, Ice, Baby

When many people picture a shark's natural habitat, a lot of us imagine a crystal clear, warm ocean; stripped by white sandy beaches, with coral reefs below, teeming with fishes. Whilst it is true that these habitats are some of the richest in terms of diversity and numbers, there are actually sharks in every single ocean in the world! Even in the freezing polar regions. So what types of sharks are able to survive in these harsh areas? Where can you find them? And how on Earth have they adapted to survive the freezing cold?

Greenland sharks are year-round residents of the Artic Ocean (Image Credit: Hemming1952 / WikimediaCommons)

Inner Circle

Covering some 7.7 million square miles, the Arctic Circle sits at the Earth's northern pole, 66°33′ north of the equator. The area includes several seas off the coasts of Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Finland, Alaska, USA, and parts of Canada and Russia (Lynghammar et al, 2012).

The Norwegian Sea. Bering Sea and Barents Sea ★ boast the highest numbers of different shark and ray species in the Artic Circle (Image Credit: Lynghammar et al, 2012).

It might surprise you to learn that there are around 50 species of sharks, skates and rays that live in the Arctic Ocean. Most successful are the skates, with 26 different species, but there are also a wide range of different sharks from may different taxonomic families (Lynghammar et al, 2012).

Depending on the time of year and where you look, you may be able to find Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus), Pacific sleeper sharks (Somniosus pacificus), blackmouth catsharks (Galeus melastoma), lesser spotted catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula), topes (Galerohinus galeus), blue sharks (Prinoace glauca), frilled sharks (Clamydoselachus anguineus), bluntnose sixgills (Hexanchus griseus), sharpnose sevengills (Heptranchias perlo), porbeagles (Lamna nasus), salmon sharks (Lamna ditopis), basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), birdbeak dogfish (Deania calcea), velvet belly lantern sharks (Etmopterus spinax), black dogfish (Centroscyllium fabricii), Portugese dogfish (Centroscymnus coelolepi) and sailfin roughsharks (Oxynotus paradoxus) living in the freezing waters within the Arctic Circle (Lynghammar et al, 2012; Ebert et al, 2021).

Birdbeak dogfish can be found in the Arctic (Image Credit: Miyazaki et al, 2019 / WikimediaCommons)

More species of sharks are present during the spring and summer months when the cold is not quite so extreme (Lynghammar et al, 2012).

The Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea and Bering Sea are the areas with the highest shark and ray species richness. Comparatively, the colder regions, such as the East Siberian Sea, Beaufort Sea, Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Laptev Sea, tend to only have between one and six species of sharks / rays (Lynghammar et al, 2012; Ebert et al, 2021).

Chemical Reaction

There are several different ways that sharks have adapted in order to be able to survive the freezing Artic regions. Firstly, some sharks have evolved specialised blood chemistry that allows them to survive in frigid waters (Di Prisco et al, 2020; Sendell-Price et al, 2023).

Their specialised blood chemistry means Greenland sharks are able to live in the Arctic year round (Image Credit: Dotted Yeti / Shutterstock)

Greenland sharks, for instance, have developed high concentrations of urea and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in their blood, which act as an antifreeze; stopping ice crystals from forming in their blood. These compounds also stabilise the proteins in their tissues, so they are able to continue to function properly, even in extreme cold (McMeans  et al, 2013; Di Prisco et al, 2020; Sendell-Price et al, 2023).

Greenland sharks also have a very laid-back lifestyle. Their metabolism is incredibly slow, they are very slow-growing and are very sedate swimmers. This means their bodies do not require a huge amount of energy to function. Perfect for such a cold environment (McMeans  et al, 2013; Di Prisco et al, 2020; Sendell-Price et al, 2023).

Greenland sharks can be found across the North Atlantic and throughout the Arctic Ocean all year round. They are the only species of shark capable of surviving the harsh polar winters; regularly found in some of the coldest waters on the planet at a frosty -1.8 °C  (McMeans  et al, 2013; Di Prisco et al, 2020; Sendell-Price et al, 2023).

Porbeagle sharks are able to survive in Artic regions because they can raise their internal body temperatures above those of the surrounding waters (Image Credit: Doug Perrine / Minden Pictures)

Hot in Herre

Another survival technique can be found in just a few sharks within the order of mackerel sharks (Lamniformes), which have evolved a type of "regional endothermy". These sharks can elevate the internal temperature of certain parts of their body above that of the surrounding water, meaning they can withstand colder environments (Bernal et al, 2012).

Regional endothermy allows salmon sharks to survive freezing Arctic temperatures (Image Credit: Warren Metcalf / Shutterstock)

For example, the porbeagle (Lamna nasus) and salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis), are capable of keeping their body temperature between 6.5 - 10.0 °C above that of the surrounding water (Dickson & Graham, 2004; Bernal et al, 2012).

These sharks are not truly 'warm-blooded' like we are, as they only warm certain organs, rather than their whole body, but it is enough to allow them to survive in cold Arctic waters (Dickson & Graham, 2004; Bernal et al, 2012). To learn more, head over to Packing Heat.

Different species of mesothermic sharks warm varying regions of their bodies, including the red muscle (RM and RMR), guts (SHR and VR) and/or eyes (OR) (Image Credit: Klöcker et al, 2024)

Gut Feeling

Basking sharks are mesotherms; warming their gut, central muscles and possibly their cranium. This allows them a very wide thermal tolerance, so they have a very broad distribution; from tropical, to sub-tropical waters, all the way into the Artic Circle (Dolton et al, 2023; Klöcker et al, 2024; Klöcker et al, 2025).

Basking sharks can maintain a raised internal body temperature around their guts, so they are able to survive in very cold regions (Image Credit: Green Fire Productions / WikimediaCommons)

But basking sharks cannot live in especially cold areas indefinitely. They spend the majority of their time in temperate regions and can only pop into sub-zero areas for brief periods - sometimes only minutes or seconds if it's very cold. They also migrate with the seasons to keep themselves within optimum temperature ranges  (Dolton et al, 2023; Klöcker et al, 2024; Klöcker et al, 2025).

This is known as "behavioural thermoregulation" and many sharks follow a similar movement pattern.

Basking sharks move into Arctic waters - moving further northwards - during the summer months [GREEN DOTS], but go back to more temperate regions during the winter [RED DOTS] [COLOURS = DATE, DOTS = TAGGED SHARK LOCATIONS] (Image Credit: Klöcker et al, 2025)

Oh, Behave!

This brings us nicely onto the final tactic sharks have employed to survive in the extreme Arctic conditions: behavioural adaptations to the cold. Like the basking shark, several species of sharks have evolved to migrate in and out of the Arctic Circle with the seasons, so they can remain in comfortable temperature ranges. Salmon sharks, for instance, move out of the Artic Circle, into warmer southern waters during the winter months (Ebert et al, 2021).

Sailfin roughsharks live in the deep regions of the Arctic (Image Credit: Citron / WikimediaCommons)

Similarly, several dogfish species, like the spiny dogfish, migrate to higher latitudes seasonally, but have also adapted their movement ecology on the vertical plane. Spiny dogfish will occupy deeper waters, which remain a more consistent temperature, in order to avoid the more extreme cold in the Arctic Circle (Ebert et al, 2021).

Black dogfish employ a similar tactic. They can be found at depths up to 2250 metres, where they can tolerate waters as cold as 1 °C, but they will migrate into shallower waters seasonally (Ebert et al, 2021).

There is concern that climate change might affect already-threatened Arctic-dwelling species, like this velvetbelly lantern shark, which is already flagged as Vulnerable to extinction in the wild (Image Credit: Vsevolod Rudyi / WikimediaCommons)

Cool Off

As so many species call the Arctic their home at some point in the year, this region is very important to the survival of threatened sharks and rays. As a result, the possibility of environmental changes in the Artic Circle as a result of anthropogenic climate change, is of serious concern (Grémillet & Descamps, 2023).

Rising temperatures are causing more rapid melting of Artic ice; altering ocean salinity and temperature. This could affect any and all of the sharks and rays that call the Arctic their home, and could affect whether they are able to continue to thrive in the region (Grémillet & Descamps, 2023).

We do not yet know what impact climate change may have, but the general consensus amongst scientists is that it would be better to prevent these changes, so we can ensure that sharks and rays continue to flourish in the Arctic for many years to come (Grémillet & Descamps, 2023).

Frilled sharks live in deep waters in very northerly latitudes (Image Credit: Citron / WikimediaCommons)

References Bernal D, Carlson JK, Goldman KJ, & Lowe CG (2012). Energetics, Metabolism, and Endothermy in Sharks and Rays. In: Carrier JC, Musick JA & Heithaus MR (Eds.) Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives 2nd Edition. Access online. 

Dickson K & Graham JB (2004). Evolution and consequences of endothermy in fishes. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 77:6. Access online.

Di Prisco G, Ademollo N, Ancora S, Christianson JS, Coppola D, Corsolini S, Ferrando S, Ghigliotti L, Giordano D, Lynghammar A, Neilsen J, Pisano E, Russo R, Steffensen JF & Verde C (2020). Physiological traits of the Greenland shark. National Research Council (CNR) - Institute of Bioscience and BioResources (IBBR). Access online.

Dolton HR, Jackson AL, Deaville R, Hall J, Hall G, McManus G, Perkins MW, Rolfe RA, Snelling EP, Houghton JD & Sims DW (2023). Regionally endothermic traits in planktivorous basking sharks Cetorhinus maximus. Endangered Species Research, 51. Access online.

Ebert D, Dando M and Fowler S (2021). Sharks of the World: A Complete Guide. Princeton University Press, USA.

Grémillet D & Descamps S (2023). Ecological impacts of climate change on Arctic marine megafauna. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38:8.. Access online.

Klöcker CA, Bjelland O, Ferter K, Arostegui MC, Braun CD, da Costa I, Cidade T, Queiroz N, Sims DW & Junge, C. (2025). Basking sharks of the Arctic Circle: year-long, high-resolution tracking data reveal wide thermal range and prey-driven vertical movements across habitats. Animal Biotelemetry, 13. Access online.

Klöcker CA, Schlindwein A, Arostegui MC, Bruvold IM, Wernström JV, Martin‐Armas M, Sims DW, Straube N, Altenberger A & Junge C (2024). Giants in the cold: Morphological evidence for vascular heat retention in the viscera but not the skeletal muscle of the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Journal of Fish Biology. Access online.

McMeans BC, Arts MT, Lydersen C, Kovacs KM, Hop H, Falk-Petersen S & Fisk AT (2013). The role of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) in an Arctic ecosystem: assessed via stable isotopes and fatty acids. Marine Biology, 160. Access online.

Miyazaki Y, Teramura A & Senou H (2019). Preliminary report on bycatch fish species collected from the Tokyo Submarine Canyon, Japan. ZooKeys 843. Access online.

Sendell-Price AT, Tulenko FJ, Pettersson M, Kang D, Montandon M, Winkler S, Kulb K, Naylor GP, Phillippy A, Fedrigo O, Mountcastle J, Balacco JR, Dutra A, Dale RE, Haase B, Jarvis ED, Myers G, Burgess SM, Currie PD, Andersson L & Schartl, M (2023). Low mutation rate in epaulette sharks is consistent with a slow rate of evolution in sharks. Nature Communications, 14, 6628. Access online.