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The Frilled Shark
Shizuoka, Japan (Jan 24, 2007 16:27 EST) A species of shark rarely seen alive because
its natural habitat is 600 metres or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week.
The Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, was alerted by a fisherman at a nearby port that he had spotted
an odd-looking eel-like creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth.
Marine park staff caught the 1.6 metre long
creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because it
is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times.
The shark appeared to be in poor condition when park staff moved it to a seawater pool where they filmed
it swimming and opening its jaws.
"We believe moving pictures of a live specimen are extremely rare," said
an official at the park. "They live between 600 and 1000 metres under the water, which is deeper than humans can go."
"We think it may have come close to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in
shallow waters," the official said.
The shark died a few hours after being caught.
Frilled sharks, which
feed on other sharks and sea creatures, are sometimes caught in the nets of trawlers but are rarely
seen alive.
| A Rare Find " The Frilled Shark" |
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