Monday, February 2, 2015

Rare 'living dinosaur' shark

Rare 'living dinosaur' shark pulled from water by Australian fishermen  



An extremely rare shark species, considered a 'living dinosaur', has been caught off the coast of Victoria to the shock and amazement of local fisherman. 
The species, known as a goblin shark, are rarely seen as they typically reside in waters near the ocean floor at around 1200 metres deep. 
As they dislike sunlight and prefer the darkness of the ocean floor, they are also known as the 'vampire shark'.
However this small specimen was captured in a net by fishermen, Lochlainn Kelly and his father Mike, just 609 metres below the water's surface.
The critter was found south east of Green Cape off the coast of Victoria, and was excitedly brought to shore at Merimbula on the far South Coast of New South Wales. 
The creepy-looking creature has a bloated pink belly, grey fins, a pointy nose and row of short, sharp teeth. 
'I wasn't freaked out, if anything I was pretty excited. I've seen photos of them before but I've never seen one before,' 22-year-old Lochlainn told SMH.
n Merimbula, the Wharf Aquarium curator Michael McMaster and Alan Scrymgeour from the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre studied the creature and were stunned by the discovery.

The goblin shark is the last known species of Mitsukurinidae, a family of sharks from 125 million years ago.
They ruled that the specimen was two to three years old as it is relatively small at just 1.2 metres in length. 
A fully grown goblin shark is between three and four metres long. 
'Their teeth are often found in underwater electrical cables,' Mr McMaster told SMH.
'A lot of fishermen have been saying that the currents are very different this year,' he added, which might have something to do with how this shark found its way into the net.
The shark is set to be sent from Wharf Aquarium to the Australian Museum in Sydney for display. 





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