Rare and terrifying sea creature caught in Australia

An extremely rare and rather terrifying sea creature has been caught in Victoria, Australia.

The two-metre-long frilled shark was caught on a fishing trawler in waters near Lakes Entrance in the state's Gippsland region.

The species dates back 80 million years, and is known as the 'living fossil'.

Speaking to ABC News, Simon Boag from the South East Trawl Fishing Association says it's the first time a frilled shark has been sighted in living local memory.

He said: "We couldn't find a fisherman who had ever seen one before. It does look 80 million years old. It looks prehistoric, it looks like it's from another time!"

The animal has a head and body that resembles an eel, but has a tail like a shark.

Mr Boag added: "It has 300 teeth over 25 rows, so once you're in that mouth, you're not coming out

"It is a freaky thing. I don't think you would want to show it to little children before they went to bed."

This one was caught at around 700 metres deep.

According to Wikipedia, the frilled shark has a wide but patchy distribution in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

This rare species is found over the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope, generally near the bottom, though there is evidence of substantial upward movements.

It has been caught as deep as 1,570m (5,150ft), although it is uncommon below 1,200m (3,900ft).

Exhibiting several "primitive" features, the frilled shark has often been termed a "living fossil".

It reaches a length of two metres (6.6ft), and it's common name comes from the frilly or fringed appearance of its six pairs of gill slits, with the first pair meeting across the throat.

Seldom observed, the frilled shark captures prey by bending its body and lunging forward like a snake.

The long, extremely flexible jaws enable it to swallow prey whole, while its many rows of small, needle-like teeth make it difficult for the prey to escape. It feeds mainly on cephalopods, bony fishes and other sharks.