Rare Prehistoric Frilled Shark Captured in Japan

Prehistoric Frilled Shark Captured in JapanIf you have extreme fear for sharks, think again. You have actually not seen the most fearsome of all sharks! Brace yourself for the mighty and ghastly Frilled Shark.

A frilled shark is no ordinary shark. It is prehistoric and has an exceptionally remarkable appearance.


It is believe to take up the body shape of a dark brown or grey eel, except that the body has six-gill slits, which sharks would normally have.

The reason behind the name of this unique creature is in the gill slits tissues that jut out from the slits. It has a massive body of two meters in length.

It is an ancient creature and has probably thought to be extinct, but on 21 January 2007, the world was in for surprise when a frilled shark was discovered in the waters of Japan, specifically near the Awashima Marine Park, which is located in Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo.

It was a female frilled shark that was found by one of the staff working at the marine park. The 1.6 meter long shark was found to be ill, and afterwards was brought out of the water and transferred into a tank filled with salt water. It died hours after being caught.

Want to take a closer look at the frilled shark? Then do not miss out on this video footage of it!




9 comments:

Trix said...

Hi Team...Great article!I have a great love and respect for sharks...how sad that this species are basically believed to be extinct,what with the last one dying in that salt water tank! How sad..still, who knows, perhaps there are still a few of them livving somewhere far away.
I couldnt view the video cos my isp cannot open vids....but I enjoyed this article very much.I learnt something new and interesting :)
I hope that you are having the very best weekend ever
Jesse ..

NafaSg said...

Hello Jesse!

Glad to see u here darling. Yes sharks may look dangerous but they're just as vulnerable as any other species of animals. Pity these frilled sharks for what they have to endure. But like u said, there could be a few more somewhere. We'll just have to wait and see!

Oh too bad that u can't view the vid, but at least seeing the picture here would enlighten u right? Anyway thanks for your comment here. Have a great great weekend too! =)

Rolando said...

It sure is an amazing creature. Even the head of it looks different. Not sure I'm happy that it captured. Now it might not live as long in captivity. :(

NafaSg said...

Hi Rolando...

Yup it surely is the amazing discovery of the year. And yes the head is unique. It actually takes the head of a shark, but takes the body of an eel. A remarkable creature indeed.

But well..that's animal life for u. Always being captured and having their lives taken away. Let's just hope there is another frilled shark surviving somewhere. =)

Mariuca said...

Nafa! B just loves watching all these sharks, whales, giant octopus documentaries ;) Some of them are pretty cool too! Thanks for this article. :):):)

NafaSg said...

Hello Marzie...

No prob! It's such a coincidence that your B loves sharks. And such a pity that this shark has died after being captured.

Anyway thanks for reading this article. Glad u guys like it. =)

Mariuca said...

I watched Maximum Exposure last night and the number 1 Max Ex spot was a story on adangerous shark too! A couple caught it by accident and the shark got weak after 30 minutes of trying to set himself free. So the couple untangled the shark, got it to breathe properly again and then set it free! The shark must've been grateful cause it didn't attack his rescuers at all! :)

NafaSg said...

Wow that's great! So happy for the shark. And so happy that the couple was so compassionate towards it. Aww...if only everybody in the world are like that couple...

That's the nature of animals it seems. If we do not cause any harm to them, they won't cause any harm to us. Must watch that movie! Hope it airs in Singapore televisions soon. =)

Parag said...

Like all fish, Frilled Shark has a lateral line running along the side of its body, bristling with tiny hairs that can detect vibrations in a manner similar to the inner ear. The frilled shark's lateral line is open to the surrounding water though, it doesn't use pores like most sharks do.