The frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) is an unusual deep-sea species often described as a “living fossil” due to its primitive physical characteristics. Its bizarre appearance often sparks curiosity regarding its potential danger to humans. The reality of its aggression level is directly related to its isolated existence in the vast, dark ocean.
Aggression Levels and Habitat Isolation
The frilled shark poses virtually no threat to humans, based primarily on the extreme rarity of encounters. This species inhabits the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope, typically dwelling between 500 and 1,500 meters below the surface. Such depths, reaching down to 5,000 feet, mean the frilled shark’s environment is geographically isolated from human activity.
Observations of specimens accidentally brought to the surface often show them to be sluggish and non-aggressive outside of their natural feeding context. Any accidental injury to a human has been limited to lacerations from its teeth when handled by fishermen or scientists. The profound separation between its deep-sea habitat and human recreational areas is the most significant factor eliminating the possibility of an attack.
Unique Hunting Strategy and Diet
While harmless to humans, the frilled shark displays specialized aggression toward its prey, which consists primarily of deep-sea squid, smaller sharks, and bony fish. Analysis of stomach contents suggests that cephalopods make up a significant portion of its diet. The scientific name, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, reflects its snake-like hunting method.
This predator is believed to employ an ambush strategy rather than actively pursuing its meals through open water. It uses its flexible, eel-like body to coil and then lunge forward with a rapid strike, similar to a snake. Its exceptionally long jaws are designed to open wide, allowing the shark to swallow prey that can be up to half its own body length entirely whole.
Its formidable dentition supports this predatory style, featuring approximately 300 needle-sharp teeth arranged in numerous rows. Each tooth is trident-shaped, possessing three distinct cusps. This recurved, inward-pointing structure is highly effective for snagging and securing the soft, slippery bodies of deep-sea squid and other fast-moving prey.
Distinctive Physical Features
The frilled sharkâs morphology contributes to its unsettling appearance, contrasting sharply with most modern shark species. Its body is notably elongated and slender, earning it the descriptor of an eel-like or anguilliform shape. Specimens can grow up to about two meters in length, with a coloration typically dark brown or gray.
The feature that gives the shark its common name is its unusual gill structure. Unlike most sharks, it possesses six pairs of gill slits. The first pair joins across the throat, creating a distinctive, frilly collar-like appearance.
Other fins are set unusually far back on the body, including the small dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins. This posterior positioning enhances its serpentine silhouette. The mouth is positioned terminally, at the end of its snout, unlike the underslung mouths found on many other sharks.