A female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a “living fossil” because the species has changed little since prehistoric times has been caught and filmed off the coast of Japan.
The rare shark was first spotted by a local fisherman who thought is was a weird eel-fish, so contacted the Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka.
Staff from the marine park later captured and filmed the shark swimming shortly before it died. It’s thought the shark was already very ill and this was probably the reason why this normally deep sea creature was found at the surface.
The video taken by the Awashima Marine Park can be seen on YouTube [link]. I think you will agree that it doesn’t look well at all, and personally I think it could already be dead and is just drifting with the current!
There is another video on YouTube [link], that shows a live Frilled Shark in its natural environment, swimming just above the ocean floor at approximately 28000 feet below sea level.
Unfortunately, the only other time these mysterious sharks are seen is when they are found dead in bottom trawling nets.
External Links:
Rare “Prehistoric” Shark Photographed Alive
Rare shark captured on film
