In an incredible finding, scientists have caught the rare frilled shark, which dates back 80 million years to the ‘age of the dinosaurs’ and is one of the oldest living species today.
Scientists from the Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere captured the male fish while working on a project to minimise unwanted catches in commercial fishing.
According to the researchers, the frilled shark measured 1.5 metres long, and was caught at a depth of 700 metres. It was captured at a depth of 2,300 feet off the resort of Portimao in Portugal.
The prehistoric predator has a long, snake-like body and around 300 teeth.
According to the scientists, the specie is “little known in terms of its biology or environment” because of the fact that it lives at depths that are rarely ventured to by humans.
Speaking to Sic Noticias, Professor Margarida Castro, a researcher form the University of the Algarve explained that the shark gets its name from the frilled arrangement of its 300 teeth, 'which allows it to trap squid, fish and other sharks in sudden lunges'.
These sharks are members of the some of the most ancient groups of sharks that are known for having extra grills, eyes on the side of their heads and spineless backfins.
This isn't the first time that a frilled shark has been caught. Last December, a fisherman called Roman Fedortsov uploaded a picture to Twitter of a frilled shark he caught in Russia.
