Prehistoric Frill Shark Captured Alive Off Algarve Coast in Portugal
A dinosaur-era frill shark was recently found off the Algarve coast of Portugal. A group of scientists discovered the species, which dates back 80 million years, has 300 teeth, and the head of a snake.
According to reports, a trawler captured the shark while scientists were doing a research project on how to reduce undesirable catches during commercial fishing. The lineage of the shark reportedly dates back to prehistoric times, with Tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops, which went extinct ages ago, as its peers.
The shark is characterized by its frilled teeth and elongated, slim body, as well as its capacity to swim at depths of at least 700 meters below sea level. According to Professor Margarida Castro of the University of the Algarve, the teeth of the shark allows it to catch squid, fish, and its fellow sharks in sudden lunges.
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The Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere reported that the shark was about 1.5m in length. Prior to its captivity, the shark lived in the Atlantic and in waters near Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, near continental shelves and at depths where the shark was in total darkness and dealing with extremely high pressure and cold temperatures.
The shark is considered a living fossil because records of the species show that the features of the discovered shark have remained unchanged since millions of years ago. Resembling an eel, the shark is called frill shark because of the frill-like patterns of its teeth. Its diet is at least 60 percent cephalopods, which consist of squid and octopus.
There are speculations that the frill shark was the source for the old tales of sea serpents. Since there has not been much footage of the shark because of its deep-sea natural habitat, its elusiveness has added to the mystery surrounding the snake-like demon creature.
