Aussie "Living Fossil" Shark With 300 Teeth Caught
It was a rare shark that had 300 teeth but the body and face of an eel. It was caught in south-eastern Victoria.
This one doesn't look too pretty, but it has some venerable forefathers that go back by 80 million years. Interestingly, the shark is called the "living fossil".
Caught on a fishing trawler near Lakes Entrance in Gippsland area, Victoria, the shark is said to be a "frilled shark" that is the first to be seen in local memory, said Simon Boag, from the South East Trawl Fishing Association, according to yahoo.com.
"We couldn't find a fisherman who had ever seen one before," he said. "It does look 80 million years old. It looks prehistoric, it looks like it's from another time!"
There were some fishermen nearby who did not seem to have been introduced to it, ever. They were fuddled when they saw the two-metre creature, with a head and body that looked like an eel, but whose tail was like a shark's.
It was dark brown, and eel-like looking. Due to its six pairs of frill-like gills along with its dorsal fins, just like a predatory fish, it's called a frilled shark, according to dailymail.com.
The CSIRO, though, confirmed that it was a frilled shark. Even as it is known to scientists, it was considered too rare and bizarre for local fishermen.
"It has 300 teeth over 25 rows, so once you're in that mouth, you're not coming out," Mr Boag said. "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."
Having been discovered at a depth of 1,500 metres below the sea, the shark usually lives in waters that are "shallower than 1,200 metres".
It had been captured at 700 metres, still, there should be no more worry about more such catches.
Mr Boag agreed that almost all the ground deeper than 700 metres are not open for trawling, so there would be no pressure or catch of any shark in these areas. "This guy was just unlucky."
The CSIRO refused to take the frilled shark, so it was sold.
