we compiled
these parameters for wild fishes from the literature over a wide body mass range (0.2–3900 kg) and examined
the scaling relationships using phylogenetically informed statistics. The sharks cruised at 0.34m·s−1 with a
tail-beat frequency of 0.15 Hz, both of which were the lowest values for their size across fish species. The mean
and maximum speed (0.74 m·s−1) and acceleration during burst swimming (0.008 m·s−2) were much lower
than those of seals. Our results indicate that the swimming performance of Greenland sharks is limited by cold
waters (~2 °C) and insufficient to catch swimming seals. However, Arctic seals sleep in water to avoid predation
by polar bears Ursus maritimus, which may leave them vulnerable to this cryptic slow-swimming predator.