A rare frilled shark dubbed as a "living fossil" was caught from the coast of Australia, according to Discovery News.
The shark has a total of 300 sharp teeth and has ancestors that date back 80 million years ago. It lives 1,300 feet below sea level but was caught at 2,296 feet below surface level.
The creature measures 6 feet and resembles the body of an eel. It has three fins plus six gill slits on each side of its head.
Western Alliance Vessel captain David Guillot who caught the shark from the Victoria waters said that it is his first time to discover the fringed creature although he worked at sea for 30 years. The captain likened the shark to a large eel and presumed that it measures 1.5 meters, according to Washington Post.
South East Trawl Fishing Association CEO Simon Boag described the shark as a "freaky thing." Boag added that children will not be happy to see it before bedtime. The CEO narrated that the shark was unlucky since it was caught on shallow waters away from its habitat.
According to shark biologist Mark Meekan, the fringed shark prefers mild temperature water than warm ones. The species is usually found in the oceans of New Zealand, Japan and nearby British Isles, Spain and Northern Africa but there are few that reside in the Victorian coast, Sydney Morning Herald reported.
It was initially discovered in 1884 and is connected to the cow shark family, which habited the sea 95 million years ago. The fringed shark mainly devours squid and octopus by swallowing it whole. It can consume a prey more than half of its actual size by bending its body.
Meekan said that although the shark is rare, he would not describe it as "hideous." The biologist added that it was captured in the shallow waters since it usually migrates at night.
This is not the first time that a rare shark was caught. A goblin shark was caught from the Gulf of Mexico last year while another fringed shark was caught in 2007 but eventually died after it was out into a giant aquarium.
