The black-headed shark is a Cretaceous fish that has survived to this day in an incredible way. It lives in the oceans, with the exception of the Arctic, at great depths, in the bottom layer. Almost does not rise to the surface, therefore it is extremely rare. Recorded cases of the capture of this shark off the coast of Europe and North Africa, South America, California, Japan.
This fish got its name for unusual folds of fibers covering the first pair of gill holes. They join on the ventral side and resemble a cloak or collar. Her body is long (about 2 m), snake-like, brown tones. Females are slightly longer than males. The eyes are oval, without a blinking membrane. The prehistoric shark has a cartilaginous spine that is not divided into vertebrae. The caudal fin is represented by only one lobe. Large fins are located next to each other closer to the tail.
The black-headed shark has an outstanding oral cavity located on the end of the snout, and not on the bottom, as in modern fish. The teeth vaguely resemble a crown, five-pointed, hook-shaped. The location of the teeth is unusual: small in front and large in the back, which is not typical for sharks. The total number of teeth is about three hundred, all very sharp. The jaws are long, able to stretch to swallow prey without biting. Hunting, the shark bends the body and abruptly rushes to prey, like a snake.
Prehistoric sharks are virtually unexplored due to their deep-sea habitat. Only a few cases are known when such specimens were caught alive. The last time this happened in January 2007. Not far from the boat of the Japanese fisherman came up something that they had never seen before. The fisherman reported what he saw to the Avashima Park Administration (Honshu Island, Shizuoka City). The Japanese not only caught, but also photographed this predator. The fish was 1.6 m long, wriggling like an eel. She counted 300 teeth in 25 rows. A black-headed shark was placed in a seawater pool, but died a few hours later. Most likely, the disease caused her to rise from the depths of the ocean. This can only be hypothesized.
The black-headed shark does not have commercial value, since it is extremely rare. And each meeting her with a person is a whole event (for a person, of course). Most often, such “dates” are random. People set up bottom net for shrimp fishing. And when pulling out the net, they see only tattered rags, so Japanese fishermen consider them to be pests.
Recently, the number of meetings of Plasma with people has increased. But scientists are inclined to believe that this is due to an increase in the water temperature of the oceans, and not because of an increase in the number of these predators. There is not enough air on the ocean floor, and preserved prehistoric animals are forced to look for a new habitat. So, in 2012, Murmansk fishermen pulled out a “historical” catch. In the waters of the Barents Sea they came across the oldest representative of sharks.
Without disappearing and not having undergone significant changes, the fiery shark may again regain power over the deep sea, becoming its full inhabitant.