Dinosaur shark: Portugal scientists make terrifying discovery in Ocean

The prehistoric shark, called the frilled shark, is one of the oldest - nearly present since 80 million years - and reportedly the creepiest one still thriving under the ocean waters.

The shark was discovered off the Algarve coast by researchers who were working on a European Union project in the area, the BBC reported.

According to a press release by the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies, scientists from the country's Institute For The Sea and Atmosphere have dubbed the shark a "living fossil", as remains of the shark date back around 80 million years.

The male shark, which measured 1.5m, was caught near the resort of Portimao. In total, the shark has six pairs of gills that have "frilly" edges.

Not much is known about the shark's environment or biology because it lives in great depths of water, which is also why it is rarely caught. Scientists said that its prehistoric contemporaries like T-rex and triceratops died out long ago, but this frilled shark is still swimming around deep below the surface of the world's ocean. The discovery adds to the list of very few sharks recently found in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Professor Margarida Castro of the University of the Algarve reportedly said that the shark gets its name from the frilled arrangement of its 300 teeth, "which allows it to trap squid, fish and other sharks in sudden lunges".

However, the team unknowingly unearthed one of the rarest and most ancient animals on the planet.

The frilled shark's mouth gives an appearance of it being bigger in size than other sharks; however, this is because the mouth stretches to the back of its head instead of ending beneath the skull.

Scientists believed it to be a living fossil with a body like a snake but the jaws of a terrifying sea predator.