The discovery of a dinosaur-era shark species in Portugese coast has caused waves in the minds of scientists around the world. According to the scientists, the “living fossil” can be dated back to 80 million years ago – the Cretaceous Period when the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops were around. The researchers of the European Union project discovered this snake-head in the Algarve coast this summer, BBC reported.
The male shark with a long, slim, snakelike body was captured at a depth of 701 metres off the sea that measured 1.5 metres in length. The scientists named the creature as Chlamydoselachus anguineus for its gills — the frilled arrangement of 300 teeth, neatly lined in 25 rows. The shark has six pair of gills which is frilly edges. The creature is mostly unevolved due to the lack of nutrients available in deep-sea dwellings.
The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere has named it as a “living fossil”. The discovery adds to the list of very few sharks recently found in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This deep sea creature usually lies at a depth of 390 and 4,200 feet below the surface, which is one one of the main reasons it was not discovered before the 19th century.
The male shark with a long, slim, snakelike body was captured at a depth of 701 metres off the sea that measured 1.5 metres in length. The scientists named the creature as Chlamydoselachus anguineus for its gills — the frilled arrangement of 300 teeth, neatly lined in 25 rows. The shark has six pair of gills which is frilly edges. The creature is mostly unevolved due to the lack of nutrients available in deep-sea dwellings.
The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere has named it as a “living fossil”. The discovery adds to the list of very few sharks recently found in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This deep sea creature usually lies at a depth of 390 and 4,200 feet below the surface, which is one one of the main reasons it was not discovered before the 19th century.