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Photo © Alexa Elliot
Photo © Alexa Elliot
Photo © Alexa Elliot
Typical species:
Frilled shark
Photo © Marinethemes.com
Genera:
1
Species:
2
Frilled sharks
This family is comprised of only one species. Frilled sharks possess 6 pairs of gill slits and have a slender, eel-like body with prominent keels on the abdomen. The first pair of gills is connected to each other across the throat, hence their name. They have a very short snout with a terminal mouth. Frilled sharks are wide-ranging but more patchily distributed. They prefer deeper waters of the outer continental shelves and upper slopes. A relatively rare species, exhibiting an ovoviviparous style of reproduction (aplacental viviparous) with a litter size of 8 to 12.