Take a look at this underwater nightmare. When you first catch a glimpse of it, this ferocious eel-like monster looks like something out of a science fiction movie. This jet-black shark is equipped with rows of needle-like teeth and a secondary jaw that can protrude from its mouth. Seriously, its mouth pops out like the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.
So, you may be wondering if this critter is an actual alien or not.
It’s apparently not an alien, but who are we to say. The slimy dude is known as the Viper Dogfish (or Viper Shark) and the species isn’t seen very often — thank goodness. Its existence was first confirmed as recently as 1986 and only a handful of specimens having ever been seen or photographed. This particular specimen, which recently made its rounds online, was caught around five years ago by Taiwan’s Fisheries Research Institute during a survey near Donghe Township. The species has also been spotted off the coasts of Hawaii and Japan.
Despite its unsettling appearance, however, it’s worth noting that the viper dogfish is not actually that large — growing only to around 60cm in length — and lives on a diet of crustaceans and bony fish. Even so, you probably wouldn’t want to come across a group of them while out swimming.
Learn all about the Viper Dogfish at sharwater.com.
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