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Frilled Shark Studies

Added 2024-06-25 04:30:23 +0000 UTC

This month's studies on the frilled shark!

Frilly Fun Facts:

It is considered to be a living fossil, having inhabited the earth for more than 80 million years.
It has 300 trident-shaped teeth, in 25 rows, all arranged perpendicular to the mouth. Their bite strength is quite poor, hence their terrifyingly snaggly teeth.
Most sharks have their jaws angled down, but a frilled shark's jaw is angled more like a lizard or a snake.
It can eat things more than half its body length, as its digestive system can expand to accommodate large food
They have one of the longest gestation periods of any animal on earth, up to 3.5 years long. Their "pups" hatch internally, being born live without a placenta.
It has been theorized that the stripy pattern made by their rows of teeth against their darker-colored skin might actually attract prey into their mouths.
The largest specimen recorded was 6.6 feet long, but they have been poorly reported, so it's likely they grow larger than this.