Ancestry of bizarre sea creature often called the living fossil dates back 80 million years; trawl fishermen in Australia don't recall ever seeing one before

January 21, 2015 by David Strege
frilled shark

This rare frilled shark was caught in the nets of an Australian fishing trawler. Handout photo from South East Trawl Fishing Association

A scary-looking and rarely seen sea creature called a frilled shark was caught in the nets of a fishing trawler last week in waters off the Australian town of Lakes Entrance in Gippsland, Victoria, sparking talk among fishermen about the last time one of these rare creatures had been seen.

"We couldn't find a fisherman who had ever seen one before," Simon Boag of the South East Trawl Fishing Association, told Australian Broadcasting Co.

"It looks prehistoric; it looks like it's from another time."

Indeed, the frilled shark has a long history. Its ancestry dates back 80 million years, so it is often referred to as the living fossil. It features a dark brown, eel-like body that grows up to 6.6 feet long, a shark-like tail, and a mouth full of teeth.
frilled shark

The frilled shark has 25 rows of teeth that number 300. Photo handout from South East Trawl Fishing Association
frilled shark

The shark has been found as deep as 4,900 feet. Photo handout from South East Trawl Fishing Association

"It has 300 teeth over 25 rows, so once you're in that mouth, you're not coming out," Boag told ABC. "Good for dentists, but it is a freaky thing. I don't think you would want to show it to little children before they went to bed."

The frilled shark is so named for the frilly appearance of six pairs of long gill slits.
frilled shark

The shark grows up to 6.6 feet in length. Photo handout by South East Trawl Fishing Association

Boag told ABC that the frilled shark was caught at 2,297 feet. The species has been found as deep as 4,900 feet but generally lives in waters shallower than 3,900 feet.

The frilled shark was offered to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, which identified the bizarre catch, but it declined to take it.

The ABC reported that the frilled shark is believed to have been sold.

Probably would filet up nice though...

It's rare, odd, strange, and we don't know much about them.....so we better kill it!

All things alien are dying to get to know us!

Into prostitution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frilled_shark

The frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) is one of two extant species of shark in the family Chlamydoselachidae, with a wide but patchy distribution in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This rare species is found over the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope, generally near the bottom, though there is evidence of substantial upward movements. It has been caught as deep as 1,570 m (5,150 ft), although it is uncommon below 1,200 m (3,900 ft).[2] In Suruga Bay, Japan, it is most common at depths of 50-200 m (160-660 ft). Exhibiting several "primitive" features, the frilled shark has often been termed a "living fossil". It reaches a length of 2 m (6.6 ft) and has a dark brown, eel-like body with the dorsal, pelvic, and **** fins placed far back. Its common name comes from the frilly or fringed appearance of its six pairs of gill slits, with the first pair meeting across the throat.

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 many rows of small, needle-like teeth make it difficult for the prey to escape. It feeds mainly on cephalopods, leavened by bony fishes and other sharks. This species is aplacental viviparous: the embryos emerge from their egg capsules inside the mother's uterus where they survive primarily on yolk. The gestation period may be as long as three and a half years, the longest of any vertebrate. Litter sizes vary from two to fifteen, and there is no distinct breeding season. Frilled sharks are occasional bycatch in commercial fisheries but have little economic value. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as Near Threatened, since even incidental catches may deplete its population given its low reproductive rate. This shark, or a supposed giant relative, is a suggested source for reports of sea serpents.

Bad Torgo bad!

i was thinking that too.... "wow, cool, wth is this ...kill it"...

no wonder the aliens don't contact us...