Prehistoric shark that lives today (6 photos)

This shark looks like an eel and it has an unusual teeth structure.





Meet the Frilled Shark or Frilled Shark. This is a species of cartilaginous fish from the genus of frilled sharks from the order Polybranchioformes. This is one of the most ancient orders, the remains of which have been found in sediments since the Jurassic period.

The frilled bat lives in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but is most often found in deep waters near Japan and Australia.

Most of the time, the frilled shark lives at a depth of up to 1000 meters, occasionally dives to 1400 meters, but at night it can swim to the surface of the water in search of food.



The raincoat grows up to 2 meters in length. The body of this shark is similar to a large snake or eel, so it is sometimes mistakenly confused with a sea snake.

The frilled shark was named so because of the wide folds of skin similar to a cloak that cover the gill slits. The teeth of the cape bear resemble small chainsaws; there are about 300 teeth in the oral cavity.

The organism of frilled sharks is perfectly adapted for life at depth. Her liver is very large and rich in low-density lipids. This allows the shark to stay at depth without much physical effort.

The frilled shark has a developed lateral line. The lateral line is a sensory organ that detects the slightest movement in the water due to the existing receptors. Thanks to this organ, the frilled fish can hunt in deep-sea darkness.





Thanks to its huge jaw, the capetail can swallow food whole, and its sharp hook-shaped teeth do not allow the victim to escape from the shark’s strong grip.

The frilled shark feeds on squid, cuttlefish, fish and other sharks.

Biologists have long been tormented by the question of how such a leisurely shark can catch fast and swift squid. One version is that the cape bearer can bend like a snake, making a sharp throw forward. It is also believed that this shark can create negative pressure inside the oral cavity, closing the gills and sucking in the prey like a vacuum cleaner.





The frilled shark can reproduce all year round, because at great depths the water temperature practically does not change at different times of the year.

This shark reproduces by placental viviparity. The female carries from 5 to 10 embryos in her body. The gestation period for cubs lasts up to 3.5 years. This is the longest gestation period of any vertebrate.

Baby sharks are born fully formed and ready for independent life.



The frilled shark is not dangerous to humans, since it spends most of its life at great depths and only occasionally floats to the surface of the water at night. It also has no commercial significance, but sometimes the cape bearer accidentally ends up in fishing nets.

Due to fishing in the habitats of this shark, it has to change its place of residence due to lack of food. In addition to humans, the frilled shark can become prey to killer whales and other larger sharks.

It is estimated that the lifespan of this shark reaches 25 years.