With its frilled gills, layered needle-point teeth, snake-like appearance, and quick-striking abilities, this shark is one of the most engrossing creatures of the deep sea.
Chlamydoselachus anguineus, most commonly referred to as the frilled shark, is widely distributed throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but rarely ever encountered. This deep-sea dwelling animal prefers to live at an average of 160–660ft beneath the surface.
The frilled shark is often regarded as a living fossil due to its lack of evolutionary change throughout the course of history. The species was first captured in Sagami Bay, Japan and officially recognized in the 19th century in the 1884 edition of the Bulletin of Essex Institute.
Chlamydoselachus anguineus is a long, snake-like creature often exceeding six feet in length and maintaining three distinct sets of fins, one set encircling the entirety of its neck, attributing to its namesake ‘frilled shark.’
The animal’s most alarming feature is 25 sets of multiple-angled needlepoint teeth that account to 300 fangs total. The teeth are locked into long jaws that are capable of opening to an area wide enough to encompass prey more than half its size and essentially swallow them whole.
The frilled shark’s diet consists primarily of cephalopods, smaller sharks, and osteichthyes. Scientists speculate that due to their posterior fins and applicable anatomy, these animals launch and strike at their prey similarly to a snake rather than the eel that they physically resemble.
Also in opposition to its eel-like constitution, the frilled shark’s liver is composed of oils and cells constructed of hydrocarbons that allow it to hover at a self-appointed depth rather than wriggle through the water.
The fascinating frilled shark is equipped with a ton of terrifying characteristics, perhaps making their rarity a favorable attribute overall.
Watch this unreal shark swim in the ocean depths in the video below:
