Frilled Shark Size report
The Frilled shark (scientific name: Chlamydoselachus anguineus), a genus in the family Chlamydoselachus, also known as the quasi-eel shark, is the most primitive type of shark with no subspecies differentiation, known as a "living fossil." There are six-gill slits on both sides of its body, and the gill intervals are extended and folded, and they cover each other, so it is named the Frilled shark.
Frilled sharks have more gill slits than other sharks because they mostly inhabit deep-sea environments; the oxygen concentration in deep-sea environments is relatively low, so more gill slits are needed for gas exchange.
Frilled sharks mostly live in the deep sea, and their distribution range is almost all over the world but very scattered. Frilled sharks are rare due to their long gestation period and low reproductive and survival rates. It has important ecological value and has been included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Let's find out more interesting facts about Frilled sharks.
Frilled Shark Size and Appearance
Named for the frilled gill slits on its head, the Frilled shark resembles an eel in appearance and is one of the most primitive shark species on Earth. Despite its eel-like appearance, the shark has 300 sharp teeth in more than 25 rows, making it a ferocious deep-sea predator. There are six-gill slits on both sides of the body, and the gill intervals are elongated and folded. Unlike ordinary sharks, the mouth of the Frilled shark is in front, with a very short snout. The upper and lower teeth are of the same shape. The anal fin is slender; the spine in the caudal fin is slightly upturned, forming an inconspicuous crooked tail. The Frilled shark looks like the dendrite shark ancestor, which appeared about 400 million years ago.
Average Size of Frilled Shark
The long, cylindrical body of the adult Frilled shark reaches lengths of nearly 2 meters and a body width of 4.5-7.5 cm. The typical weight of the Frilled shark ranges between 90-135 kg. Based on decades of research by marine biologists, Frilled sharks have lifespans between 20-25 years.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Average Length | 2 m |
| Average Weight | 90-135 kg |
| Lifespan | 20-25 years |
| Habitat | deep sea at 500-1000 m |
Living Habits
Frilled sharks are often found on the outer edge of the continental shelf and the upper part of the continental slope, a prominent deep-sea dwelling species. This species usually lives at the bottom of the sea or in areas with a depth of 500 to 1000 meters. The trident, pointed teeth in the mouth of Frilled sharks are enough to prove that they are ferocious predators, and their jaws can be flexibly opened and closed to swallow their prey whole; they mainly feed on other sharks, squid, and bony fish.
Final Words
Over tens of millions of years, Frilled sharks have been perfectly adapted to the relatively low-variation deep-sea high-pressure environment. The multi-row gill slit structure of the frilled shark can efficiently obtain the oxygen needed for survival from the deep sea with low oxygen content. Because frilled sharks live in the deep sea and are difficult to observe, little is known about their communication and perception abilities. Although a small number of distribution records are scattered in various oceans, there are still many mysteries in terms of physiology, ecology, and population of Filled sharks in the wild. But it is undeniable that Frilled sharks are more likely than in the past to become accidental victims of modern fisheries as humans demand more from the sea.
