Facts about Frilled Sharks
The frilled shark, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, is a primitive shark species, of the family Chlamydoselachidae. They belong to the order Hexanchiformes. Superficially, the frilled shark resembles a dark brown or grey eel, but the six gill slits identify it as a shark. Its teeth are small, tricuspid, and very sharp. It has been recorded at up to 2 m in length. Firstly thought to be extinct itself, it was only discovered in Japanese waters in the 19th century. On January 21, 2007 a specimen was found alive off the coast of Japan near the Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo. The shark was captured but, being in poor health, died shortly afterwards. Its dorsal fin is small, anal fin large, and the caudal fin (tail fin) is highly asymmetric, the dorsal part almost unnoticeable. The tissue of the gill slits protrudes somewhat, thus inspiring the common name. Frilled sharks appear regularly in the catches from bottom trawling, and when caught are used as food or for fishmeal. Frileld sharks are usually found at depths of between 50 m and 1,500 m. The frilled sharks have been reported in all oceans but are mainly found near Norway, South Africa, New Zealand, and Chile. Distribution is worldwide, but they are very rarely found in shallow water. The frilled shark is sometimes referred to as a living fossil partially because the species has changed little since pre-historic times. They typically eat squid, other sharks, and deepwater bony fish. |
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