Frilled Shark Captured Off Australia’s Coast, Proved Rare “Living Fossil” Existence (PHOTO)

A scary-looking off Frilled Shark was captured off Australia’s coast. Also called “living fossil”, the rare shark species dates back 80 million years.

According to the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association, the Frilled Shark reaches a length of 2.0m and has a dark brown, eel-like body with the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins placed far back. Its common name comes from the frilly or fringed appearance of its six pairs of gill slits.

It has a wide but patchy distribution in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on the outer and upper continental slope, generally near the bottom, though there is evidence of substantial upward movements. It has been caught as deep as 1,570m but is uncommon below 1,200m.

Seldom observed, the frilled shark may capture prey by bending its body and lunging forward like a snake. The long, extremely flexible jaws enable it to swallow prey whole, while its 300 needle-shaped teeth aligned in 25 rows make it difficult for the prey to escape. Some literature suggests its body shape allows it to feed along crevices on cephalopods, bony fishes and other sharks. A large liver packed with low-density oils and hydrocarbons allows it to maintain neutral buoyancy at depth.

The shark was captured by a trawl vessel and was near maximum length.

PHOTO

Frilled shark captured. Credit: South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA)