A littoral and epibenthic species of the continental and insular shelves and the upper slopes found down to at least 1200 m. It may move into shallower water during spring and summer times. Prefered water temperatures range from 0.6 to 12°C. The Greenland shark is an apex predator mostly eating fish. However, it may also prey on marine mammals such as seals. Greenland sharks have also been found with remains of polar bear, horses and reindeer (in one case an entire reindeer body was found in the shark's stomach) in their stomachs. The Greenland shark is also known to be a scavenger but to what extent carrion (almost certainly the origin of the reindeer) figures into the slow-moving fish's stomach contents is unknown. It is known, however, that the species is attracted by the smell of rotting meat in the water.