Yesterday, fishermen off the coast of Lakes Entrance in Victoria, Australia were left baffled when they caught a 2-meter long eel like creature that looked nothing like anything any man had seen before.
Turns out, this is a rare species of Shark, called the Frilled Shark, one that has been swimming the oceans for 80 million years now . It is one of two species from that period that are still living. While it does look ‘terrifying’, marine biologists say that usually this species swims deeper than 1500m under the sea level.
What’s really interesting about the Frilled Shark is that it has a jawline that was thought to have evolved into what most present day sharks have.
The Frilled Shark is named so because of the 6 pairs of frilled gills it has on the sides. It has over 300 needle-like teeth spread over 25-26 rows. Once you’re in that mouth, you’re not getting out.
So basically, the Frilled Shark is a clear case of Nope!
Here are some more pictures of what they call the ‘living fossil’.
If you think these scary looking creatures are only found near Australia, let me burst that bubble. They can also be found in the Moroccan coast and also along the coasts of Japan and Scotland.