A fisherman in Australia spotted a strange-looking monster that has been dubbed “the stuff of nightmares.”
The large-eyed shark was discovered dead in the sea off the coast of Australia, with a projecting white mouth and fangs and a pointed snout like a dog.
Trapman Bermagui of Sydney was perplexed by his unusual capture from 2,133 feet below the surface.
The snapshot was circulated on social media, and many commented on its look and attempted to confirm what it was.
Since posting a photo of the predator’s head to Facebook on Monday, it has received over 1,000 likes and 250 comments.
“Stuff of nightmares there,” one passenger said.
“Looks incredibly pleased; he recently had his braces removed and is emphasizing the gums and teeth,” a second person said.
A third person even speculated that it wasn’t a genuine shark at all, saying, “Man produced.. either a sculptor or DNA mixing with the assistance of the crisper…”
Mr Bermagui expressed his own opinion, saying, “Totally not a cookiecutter.” It’s a rough-skinned shark, also known as an effort dog shark.
“These sharks may be found at depths of more than 600 meters.” We normally capture them in the winter.”
Dean Grubbs, associate director of research at Florida State University’s Coastal and Marine Laboratory, chimed in as well.
According to him, the species looks to be Centroscymnus owstoni, commonly known as the roughskin dogfish.
“We captured quite a number of them in my deep-sea studies in the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas,” Mr Grubbs added.
“Ours came from depths ranging from 740 to 1160 meters (2,400 to 3,800 feet),” according to the paper. They belong to the Somniosidae family of Sleeper Sharks, which is the same family as the Greenland Shark, but obviously a much smaller species.”
Christopher Lowe, professor and head of the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab, offered an opposing viewpoint. “Looks to me like a deepwater kitefin shark, which are known in the waters around Australia,” he added, noting that he couldn’t see the shark’s entire body or size.
“It seems like Dalatias lata to me, but we discover new deepwater shark species all the time, and many of them appear extremely similar to each other.”
Dalatias lata sharks prefer deep waters, hovering near the bottom at depths of up to 1,800 meters (4,950 ft) in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, according to the Shark Research Institute.
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