Frilled Shark
Fast Facts
The frilled shark kind of looks like an eel with its long snake-like body. That's why it is sometimes called a sea serpent or the "real Loch Ness Monster." Its mouth looks larger than most sharks. Inside its mouth, the frilled shark has 300 pitch-fork shaped teeth arranged in 25 rows. Scientists used to think the frilled shark wriggled through the water like an eel, but have now determined that is has an oil-and-hydrocarbon-packed liver that allows it to float and sink to depths of 4,000 feet.
Although its hunting has not been observed, scientist believe the frilled shark strikes at its prey like a snake. It is thought to hunt in underwater caves and crevices, which would explain its thin and narrow body. They can catch some surprisingly fast and slippery prey, which likely explains the shark's fork-like teeth.
Life happens slowly in the deep sea. Due to the cold, frilled sharks body functions slow down. A female frilled shark is believed to carry its young for up to 3.5 years in its body.
Fast Facts
- eats large sea creatures like shark, squid, cuttlefish and octopus
- size: can grow up to 6 and a half feet
- depth range: 160 to 4,200 feet
- Did you know? It has the nickname "the living fossil" since it has changed so little over 80 million years.
The frilled shark kind of looks like an eel with its long snake-like body. That's why it is sometimes called a sea serpent or the "real Loch Ness Monster." Its mouth looks larger than most sharks. Inside its mouth, the frilled shark has 300 pitch-fork shaped teeth arranged in 25 rows. Scientists used to think the frilled shark wriggled through the water like an eel, but have now determined that is has an oil-and-hydrocarbon-packed liver that allows it to float and sink to depths of 4,000 feet.
Although its hunting has not been observed, scientist believe the frilled shark strikes at its prey like a snake. It is thought to hunt in underwater caves and crevices, which would explain its thin and narrow body. They can catch some surprisingly fast and slippery prey, which likely explains the shark's fork-like teeth.
Life happens slowly in the deep sea. Due to the cold, frilled sharks body functions slow down. A female frilled shark is believed to carry its young for up to 3.5 years in its body.
Source:
"Frilled Shark." Discovery. 5 Sept. 2013. Web. Accessed 1 May 2013. http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week/types-of-shark/frilled-shark/
"Frilled Shark." Discovery. 5 Sept. 2013. Web. Accessed 1 May 2013. http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week/types-of-shark/frilled-shark/