Rare shark of the deep captured on film - 24 January

A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week.

The Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, was alerted by a fisherman at a nearby port on Sunday that he had spotted an odd-looking eel-like creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth.

Marine park staff caught the 1.6-metre-long creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because it is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times.

Check out the full story with an amazing pic at the Sydney Morning Herald site

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/01/24/1169594348990.html

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2007-01-24