i’m a bit disillusioned by shark week this year. why does it suck so hard? why so many “survivor” stories that are totally fucking with the notion that SHARKS DON’T EAT PEOPLE!?!?!? fuckers. also, discovery totally had some douche on there talking about how he shot a BEACHED AND GASPING-TO-DEATH shark in the head with a gun.
fuckers.
anyway, the shark of the day today is: the frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus), sometimes called the frill shark.
size: 3.2-4.9 ft. (recorded up to 6.5 ft.)
habitat: southeast australia, new zealand, southeast asia, west africa, chile and the caribbean at depths between 160 and 660 feet
prey: cephalopods and sometimes other sharks (read: DOES NOT EAT PEOPLE!)
fun facts: the frilled shark’s mouth reveals 300 trident-shaped teeth aligned in 25 rows, and its jaws terminate at the back of its head rather than the bottom of its skull. also, due to it’s very thin and narrow physique, scientists initially suspected it was a type of eel. as it turns out, it is one of the most primative shark species still living today and has not changed significantly in millions of years.
many sharks undergo long gestation periods, but the frilled shark could actually break the world’s record. although research on this matter is still ongoing, scientists suspect frilled sharks could gestate for up to three and a half years! an average litter consists of six pups, many of which may not survive into adulthood; thus reproduction in the shark’s deep-sea habitat is slow at best. since temperatures are also colder at such levels, its metabolic cycle is thought to be equally sluggish.
again these sharks are fascinating and HARMLESS. see for yourself here.
