Australian fisherman catch 'prehistoric shark' with 25 rows of razor sharp teeth

An eye-catchingly terrifying frilled shark was captured by Australian fishermen near Lakes Entrance in Victoria, Australia.

17:42 22 January 2015

A rare “prehistoric shark” with 25 rows of razor sharp teeth has been captured in Australia in images that have garnered worldwide interest.

Also known as a “living fossil”, the frilled shark is named for its six pairs of frill-like gills. Its origin dates back 80 million years and it’s one of the only two species that is still alive from this period. 

South East Trawl Fishing Association (SETFA) chief executive Simon Boag told ABC: "It does look 80 million years old. It looks prehistoric... like it's from another time.”

Meanwhile, local fishermen were amazed by the two metre long creature. One of them, Mr Boag said: "It has 300 teeth over 25 rows, so once you're in that mouth, you're not coming out.”

The specimen was offered to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) but was not taken in, and is now believed to have been sold.