Frilled Shark: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Ocean Oddities · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. When it hunts, a frilled shark presses its tail against a rock, bends like an eel, then lunges at its prey.
2. Its jaws hold 300 trident-shaped teeth, and it can devour food considerably larger than its own body.
3. A frilled shark's pregnancy can last up to 3.5 years, for a litter of 2-15 pups.
4. At night, frilled sharks rise to the ocean surface to feed on cephalopods, smaller sharks and bony fish.
5. Frilled sharks are called living fossils because of their primitive, eel-like body.

The quiz

1. What does a frilled shark press against a rock when it hunts?

• Its fins
• Its tail (correct)
• Its frill
• Its jaws

It presses its tail against a rock, then lunges like an eel.

2. How many trident-shaped teeth are in its jaws?

• 30
• 100
• 600
• 300 (correct)

Its jaws hold 300 trident-shaped teeth.

3. How long can a frilled shark's pregnancy last?

• Up to 3.5 years (correct)
• Up to 6 months
• Up to 1 year
• Up to 9 months

Its pregnancy can last up to 3.5 years.

4. When do frilled sharks rise to the surface to feed?

• At dawn
• At noon
• At night (correct)
• Only in winter

They rise to the surface at night to feed.

5. Why are frilled sharks called living fossils?

• They are only found as fossils
• Their primitive, eel-like body (correct)
• They live near volcanoes
• They glow in the dark

They are called living fossils because of their primitive, eel-like body.

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