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Prehistoric 'living fossil' frill shark caught in Australia

By Andrew V. Pestano
The frill shark, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, dates back 80 million years. The man who caught it described it as "horrific looking." Photo courtesy of South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association
1 of 4 | The frill shark, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, dates back 80 million years. The man who caught it described it as "horrific looking." Photo courtesy of South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association

LAKES ENTRANCE, Australia, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A fisherman in Australia caught a frill shark considered a "living fossil" of a species that dates back 80 million years.

The eel-like frill shark, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, gets its name from its six pairs of gills that look like fabric frills, or ruffles.

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It has 25 rows of 300 needle-shaped teeth. The frill shark can bend its body and lunge forward like a snake whenever it hunts for food, according to the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association.

Simon Boag, from SETFIA, said local fishermen were perplexed by the six-and-a-half foot creature that shares features of an eel and a shark.

"It does look 80 million years old," Boag said. "It looks prehistoric, it looks like it's from another time!"

David Guillot caught the frill shark almost half a mile deep and said in his 30 years at sea he's never seen a shark like that, 3AW Drive reports.

"The head on it was like something out of a horror movie," Guillot said. "It was quite horrific looking."

The frill shark is usually found in water shallower than 1,200 meters, but can be found as much as 1,500 meters deep.

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