The frilled shark is one of two remaining species of an ancient aquatic family which dates back 80 million years.
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Terrifying 'frilled shark' found off Victorian Coast
THE hideous, mildly terrifying and rarely sighted frilled shark has turned up in waters off south-eastern Victoria.
The species, whose ancestry dates back 80 million years, is known as the 'living fossil'.
It was caught on a fishing trawler in waters near Lakes Entrance in the state's Gippsland region.
Simon Boag, from the South East Trawl Fishing Association, said it was the first time in living memory that a frilled shark had been sighted.
"We couldn't find a fisherman who had ever seen one before," he said.
"It does look 80 million years old. It looks prehistoric, it looks like it's from another time!"
