Eighty million year-old shark found swimming off Portugal coast.

The rare frilled shark is considered a living fossil because evidence of its existence dates back to at least 80 million years ago. Researchers found one alive and thriving off the coast of Portugal, uncovering more clues about the resilience of this ancient sea creature. The researchers who discovered the shark off the Algarve coast were working on a European Union project in the area, the BBC reported. The team unknowingly unearthed one of the rarest and most ancient animals on the planet.

Scientists believe the frilled shark has remained the same, both inside and out, since the Cretaceous Period, when the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops still roamed the planet. The creature, known by scientists as Chlamydoselachus anguineus, is incredibly simple and unevolved, most likely due to the lack of nutrients found in its deep-sea dwellings. Read the free article.