Frilled Shark Characteristics
If you have ever eaten at a Japanese restaurant, you have probably seen eel. You probably know that they are composed of a long slender body, and a long tail fin. Well, this physical description matches that of the frill shark perfectly. For frill sharks resemble eel’s in body structure almost to the tea. Frill Sharks are a chocolately brown color, and specifically, the six gill slits in the front of its body directly link it with other sharks, although it is odd in a sense that there are 6 and not 5 slits. It is called a frill shark however because its gills protrude more than that of others giving it the frilled look.
Frilled shark have one dorsal fin located near the posterior part of the body, where also, the pelvic and anal fins are located. These sharks grow to be about 6.5 feet, or two meters. They have a terminal jaw, which means that it is located at the very end of their faces rather than at the bottom. In that jaw lies about 300 gleaming pearly whites. Their teeth are trident shaped and are arranged in about 25 row. Accordingly their prey consists of deep sea squids and fish. Since these sharks live on the ocean floor, it is also thought that they may also consume carrion that float down from the surface. As far as other predators go, there are no known frill shark predators, excluding humans of course, but we just well seem to be everyone’s predator now don’t we.
Due to the fact that very little is known about these sharks, we cannot be sure of their true lifespan, but it is estimated that they will live a maximum of 25 years. They are extremely slow moving, and are among the slowest of shark species. When it comes to mating, much is still unknown, except for the fact that they are ovoviviparous and can bear anywhere from two to twelve live young. Fertilization is internal and takes place in the oviduct of the female. Male and the female frill sharks come together only to mate. As with all sharks, live birth takes place after gestation, which is about 1 to 2 years long.
Frilled Sharks are found on near shore and continental shelves of Islands. They are however, occasionally found in open waters. They have been found almost worldwide, including the Western Pacific coast, Eastern Atlantic Coast, The Western Indian, and the Eastern Pacific. In hindsight, they are everywhere, but we just don’t even see them
