A prehistoric shark has been caught in Australia

This is the first time in the history of the Australian region of Victoria that a prehistoric shark has been caught in its depths. As local fishermen unanimously claim, if any of them had encountered such an unusual creature at least once before, it would certainly have been recorded and the information would have spread like wildfire among the inhabitants of Victoria, famous for its peace and beautiful nature.

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“We have not been able to find even one fisherman who remembers the story of the capture of such an unusual creature,” said Simon Boag, representing the local fishing association, South East Trawl Fishing Association.

At first glance the creature looks more like something out of an eel, a moray eel or a creature from a fantasy book, but according to scientists it is Chlamydoselachus anguineus. With us, the creature is more commonly associated under the name stingray. It is a primitive species of shark from the ray family, which is found in waters around the world.

The flatworm is a very poorly known species. The representatives encountered so far have reached a body length of up to 200 cm. The depth range at which it has been recorded is 120-1500 m. In Australia, where the specimen in question was caught, it was found at a depth of 700 m. This is the maximum depth at which fishing is allowed in this country.

However, this is not the most interesting thing about this creature. This prehistoric shark has 300 teeth (!) spaced in 25 rows! If you ever have the dubious pleasure of finding yourself in this maw, you can be sure that it will not be easy to get out of it.

Scientists suspect that the stingray is one of the world’s oldest living species. The age of this species is estimated to be at least 95 million years old!

Source: iflscience.com