The Frilled Shark scores a 1 on the man eater danger scale. There are no known encounters with people.

The Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) has an eel like appearance unlike any other shark in existence today.

Frilled Shark Features and Size

The Frilled Shark looks much like an eel than it does a shark due to its long slender appearance. The gills are covered with flaps of skin instead of the sleek gill vents on sharks in the same family as the Bull or grey sharks. But this is one strange looking shark. It has a terrifying appearance.

Its pectoral fins are rounded and the Frilled Shark’s dorsal fin is small and located much further back on its body. The one feature that easily identifies the Frilled Shark as a shark is the rows of teeth in its mouth.

Unlike other sharks, the Frilled Shark is able to swallow food up to half its length, which is remarkable for a shark. Its jaw is able to flex allowing it to open wide but reduces the bite pressure significantly.

Food Preferences

The Frilled Shark eats cephalopods, bony fishes and sharks. Popularity of food depends on abundance and the location the shark is found. Bony fish are popular in many places, but cephalopods are becoming more popular in areas where sharp popularrtions have been decimated due to over fishing.

Squid have flourished with these apex predators on the decline. For those that still remain, like the Frilled Shark, they are becoming a very popular food source, dominant over other species.

Frilled Shark Distribution

Their distribution is not well understood. We can estimate their distribution based on the few locations where they are found.

This includes the coastal waters of Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Taiwan, China, Australia, Morocco, Brazil, West Africa and the eastern coast of North America.

Each area where they have been caught or found dead are close to the continental shelf and other areas that offer upwellings. The nutrients attract their favourite foods in large numbers.

Frilled Shark Habitat

The Frilled Shark can be found between 164 to 328 feet/50 to 100 meters deep. They have the capacity to deep dive having been found down to almost a mile (5280 feet/1609 meters). They prefer cold water. When the temperature is above 60°F/15.5°C.

Man Eater Danger Scale

The Frilled Shark scores a 1 on the man eater danger scale. There are no known encounters with people. This is likely due to the rarity of the fish, depth at which they are found and their food preferences. As they do have large and sharp teeth, we cannot eliminate them completely from the danger scale.