# The weirdest - maybe scariest? - shark you've ever seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407 "2007-01-25T14:21:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/21 "2007-01-25T18:35:39Z")
That is really cool. I’m a bit of a shark fan, and i’d never even heard of that species. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/22 "2007-01-25T20:23:03Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Wow. “ **Because I want someone to carry on my name**.” “Because I want to bring life into the world.” “Because I have a need to nurture.” “Because I love my spouse.” “Because I might menstruate at a depth of 2000 feet and then a freaky looking shark will eat me.” Which one of these strikes you as an odd reason to concieve? [/QUOTE] The bolded one. It’s the father’s name that gets carried on. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/23 "2007-01-25T20:26:25Z")
[QUOTE=brownie55] The bolded one. It’s the father’s name that gets carried on. [/QUOTE] Ding ding ding! We have a winner! ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/24 "2007-01-25T20:29:41Z")
[QUOTE=jay-c] Technically, shouldn’t that encourage us to lose it as soon as possible? Because the only time we aren’t going to menstruate is when we’re pregnant. You know, just a thought. [/QUOTE] Sorry. I have to learn to think inside the box… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![jay-c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jay-c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jay-c)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/25 "2007-01-25T20:36:18Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Wow. “Because I want someone to carry on my name.” “Because I want to bring life into the world.” “Because I have a need to nurture.” “Because I love my spouse.” “Because I might menstruate at a depth of 2000 feet and then a freaky looking shark will eat me.” Which one of these strikes you as an odd reason to concieve? [/QUOTE] Probably a bit of a Catch-22 though, as I believe that deep sea diving would be contraindicated whilst pregnant. I could be completely off base though. Wouldn’t be the first time. Regardless, it’s of no matter to me, as I am both unable to sustain a pregnancy due to a clotting disorder and completely petrified of deep water. The closest I’m ever coming to Mr. Sharky is a picture. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/26 "2007-01-25T20:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=jay-c] Regardless, it’s of no matter to me, as I am both unable to sustain a pregnancy due to a clotting disorder and completely petrified of deep water. The closest I’m ever coming to Mr. Sharky is a picture. [/QUOTE] Probably so, but be wary of late night knocks on your door coming from someone claiming to be Mrs. Arlsbergerhh, er, Mrs. Johnannesburrrr, er, candygram, er, it’s mother. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/27 "2007-01-25T20:58:23Z")
That was one freaky shark. I wonder though, if part of the reason it looked so creepy was that it was sick? Maybe a healthy frilled shark isn’t quite so oogy? Really eely though, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/28 "2007-01-25T21:33:56Z")
I heard it tastes a bit like coelacanth. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/29 "2007-01-25T21:43:56Z")
Cool link! The beastie looked profoundly unhappy in these pressurefree, blindingly light waters. The way it moved on the film was how I imagined a [Mosasaurus](http://www.urweltmuseum.com/images/sonderausstellung/mosasaurus.jpg) must have moved. A mosasaurus is a sea-dwelling dinosaur, and my hometown Maastricht boasts the fossil skull of one. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/30 "2007-01-26T02:18:11Z")
Idunno. The goblin shark rates as pretty weird and scary in my book. It’s the protrusible jaws and photos of dead specimens that do it. ---
**Author:** ![krisolov](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krisolov/32/3724_2.png) [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/31 "2007-01-26T02:33:59Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] I heard it tastes a bit like coelacanth. [/QUOTE] Please. We have a winner. Thank you **Wee Bairn**!, new keyboard, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/32 "2007-01-26T02:44:03Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] We were on a Whale-Watching cruise out of Boston, and we saw a Whale Shark behind a sailing yacht. This was no small yacht, but the Whale Shark was right behind it, just under water (so it was clearly visible), and was _much_ bigger than the boat. It looked scary and impressive as hell. [/QUOTE] I swam alongside one of those on the Great Barrier Reef. Big fish. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/33 "2007-01-26T03:07:50Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] Cool link! The beastie looked profoundly unhappy in these pressurefree, blindingly light waters. The way it moved on the film was how I imagined a [Mosasaurus](http://www.urweltmuseum.com/images/sonderausstellung/mosasaurus.jpg) must have moved. A mosasaurus is a sea-dwelling dinosaur, and my hometown Maastricht boasts the fossil skull of one. [/QUOTE] Technically, it’s not a dinosaur, despite its size, but a giant seagoing lizard. Its closest living relative is, not surprisingly, the Komodo dragon. And Maastricht is not only site to **a** fossil skull; it’s where the genus was originally discovered, and the name commemorates this: Mosa-saurus, “lizard from the Meuse/Maas valley.” Your skull is, I believe, the type specimen for the genus, the one to which all other potential mosasauruses are compared to see if they’re in the same genus as it. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/34 "2007-01-26T09:08:12Z")
**Poly** , I couldn’t have said it better meself. 🙂 Have you heard that the original Mosasaurus skull was kidnapped to the Paris Pareontology Museum in the 1770s, but that the Maastrichtenaars don’t care anymore because in 1998 they found, while digging up some more limestone, another, even more intact and beautiful fossil skull? They nicknamed it “Ber” and it’s currently on display at our Maastricht Natural History Museum. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/35 "2007-01-26T11:07:02Z")
[QUOTE=mks57] While watching the sharks episode of the “Most Extreme” show on television, I saw one that will probably give me nightmares, the angel shark. It hides on the bottom of the ocean, covered in sand. When something tasty makes the mistake of passing in front of the shark, it explodes off the sea bed, with its huge toothy mouth wide open. For a video of the shark in action, see [http://www.metacafe.com/watch/75636/angel\_shark/](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/75636/angel_shark/) [/QUOTE] That video was an “ordinary” Angel shark. The Frilled shark is much different and much rarer. ---
**Author:** ![hackysack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4491bb/32.png) [@hackysack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hackysack)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/36 "2007-01-26T14:49:24Z")
Bolding mine [QUOTE=DocCathode] Idunno. The goblin shark rates as pretty weird and scary in my book. It’s the protrusible jaws **and photos of dead specimens that do it.** [/QUOTE] This shark carries a portfolio of dead beastie pics with it? That’s just evil. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/37 "2007-01-26T15:28:50Z")
Wow - give it stripes and it’d be at home in a Tim Burton movie. One of the creepiest things about it is the way it’s moving, with it’s ass end hanging down like that. At first I thought that was a symptom of it’s being at death’s door, but other pictures of other frilled sharks show the same body arrangement. Oogy. ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407/38 "2007-01-26T15:50:02Z")
First thing I thought when I saw it was ‘Nessie’! I felt bad for the poor critter, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-weirdest-maybe-scariest-shark-youve-ever-seen/389407.md?page=1)