Rare primitive shark captured on film

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A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres (2,000 ft) 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 on Sunday 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 (5 ft) 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 1,000 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.

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[somewhatgifted]

Wonder why it got sick? maybe as our oceans change in acidity we may continue to see dying exotic/prehistoric creatures float to the surface.

[bioman]

I beleive Darwin, during one of the Beagle voyages, captured one of these.

They aren't incredibly rare per se, it's just no one ever sees them along the abyssal plain...kinda like giant squid, they're there just hard to get to.

[Skye]

neat. they will probably be here long after us too

[wastedwhiteboy2]

especially you steroid users!

[meowmeow]

especially you steroid users!

Sharks were the first steroid users...imagine a minnow on 1 gram of test per week for like 5 years....BOOM!

[Squeaks4ver]

i dont know if i should laugh at that or slap you in the face because of the stupidity ;-)

[dsade]

___________/\_____\o/____

SHARK!!!

[CDB]

That thing looks super cool. See its tail and how snake-like it moved? Funky. Cool as hell to see these things I think. I was looking into cryptids last night too so I in the perfect mood to see something like this.

[CRUNCH]

I saw the video as well...that is the creepiest looking thing I have ever seen!!! If I was swimming in the ocean and saw one of those near me, I think my heart would stop dead on the spot!

[yeahright]

That's a freaky looking creature.

[HairyLarry35]

Here is the video... it's gills freak me out, man.

[athlete20]

That shark looks tite...that's crazy.

[somewhatgifted]

That shark looks tite...that's crazy.

Reminds me of my ex girlfriend, tight, crazy jagged flesh tearing needle teeth.