OH. OH NO. A frilled shark has been found in the sea by a fisherman near Victoria, South-East Australia–and it is terrifying.
The South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association SETFIA describe the shark as being a 6ft ‘living fossil’ with over 300 teeth over 25 rows, “so once you’re in that mouth, you’re not coming out”. The website explains how it feeds:
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.
Speaking to ABC, Simon Boag from the association said this was the first time the shark had been seen by humans, that we know of. It has ancestors dating back 80 million years.
It is a freaky thing. I don’t think you would want to show it to little children before they went to bed.
Unless of course, you are the worst parent ever.
The fisherman caught the shark from 700m below the surface, which is unusual as the shark is known to live below 1,200m. He told 3AW that bringing it to the surface was” like something out of a horror movie”.
I’ve been at sea for 30 years and I’ve never seen a shark look like that.
The shark has been sold to a private entity after it was rejected by the CSIRO. Yes, somebody actually bought this thing.
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