Rare 'dinosaur age' shark found in Portugal

An ancient and rare frilled shark has been found alive off the coast of Portugal, puzzling researchers over its survival.

The rare fish was pulled aboard a trawler by scientists who were working on a European Union project on commercial fishing, the BBC reports.

Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere officials have labelled the sea creature a “living fossil”, claiming its existence dates back 80 million years.

The male shark, which measured 1.5m, was caught near the resort of Portimao.

Little is known about the shark other than it has 300 teeth and has a snake-like body.

The creature gets its name from the frilled nature of its teeth, which allow it to devour its food.

Scientists believe it resides off the coast of Australia, Japan and New Zealand.