Frilled Shark

This is a photograph of a female frilled shark taken shortly before it died last week. The shark, photographed by a Japanese scientist, normally lives approximately 2,000 feet below the surface and is rarely seen alive. The shark in this photo is 5 feet long and was weak due to illness or shallow waters. The scientists moved the shark to a marine park where it died shortly after. Because of the habitat of the species (deep waters, often where humans cannot explore), these sharks are normally seen after they have already died. They are usually found caught in trawlers nets and are hauled up dead. This particular shark did not live more than 2 hours after reaching shallow depths. The frilled shark is known as the "living fossil" because it has hardly changed since prehistoric times.