Although there were only few reports of shark attacks, people’s fear on sharks is always there and it can be attributed to myths and stories of shark attacks and was reenforced by the showing of the films “The Jaws” by Spielberg. It should be noted that not  all shark species attack human beings. Here’s a list of the most-fearsome, unusual and weirdest-looking sharks in the world.

Prickly Dogfish (Oxynotus bruniensis)

Image Source

One of the oddest-looking species of sharks is the Prickly Dogfish, a species of sleeper shark. You’ll surely get out of the water once you spotted this freak or if you have a heart problem you’ll definitely die of heart attack. It can be found on the waters of Australia and New Zealand at depths of between 45 and 1,000 meters. It grows up to a length of 60 centimeter. As of the moment, there’s no report of attack yet.

Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)

Image Source

This ferocious-looking creature that can be found throughout the world called Goblin Shark is a deep-sea creature found far below where the sun’s light can reach at depths greater than 200 meters. It means you can enjoy swimming without worrying much that anytime you’ll spot this awful-looking animal. The most distinctive characteristic of the goblin shark is the unorthodox shape of its head.

Common Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus)

Image Source

The Common Thresher looks amazing with its very long tail fin. It is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. This unique shark species can grow up to 6 m or 18 ft long. Half of its total length is consists of the long upper lobe of its tail fin.

Crested Bullhead Shark (Heterodontus galeatus)

Image Source

The Crested Bullhead Shark looks either funny or creepy. It is a bullhead shark found in the western Pacific Ocean from the surface to 90 meters. This unique-looking species of shark can reach a length of 1.5 meters long.

Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus)

Image Source

One of the rarest species of animals and was once thought extinct is the Frilled Shark, a living fossil. A live specimen was found off the coast of Japan in 2007 but it died soon because it can’t adapt to live in the warm and shallow water. The longest recorded size of a Frilled Shark is 2 m or 6.5 ft long.

Coral Catshark (Atelomycterus marmoratus)

Image Source

The Coral Catshark is commonly kept as aquarium pet and had been known to live for 20 years in captivity. It can be found in the Indo-West Pacific oceans. It is known also known to be more aggressive than other shark species held in personal aquaria and are known to attack tankmates even if that tank mate is too large for them to fully consume.

Longfin Mako Shark (Isurus paucus)

Image Source

The Longfin Mako Shark, a visual predator of schooling fish, obviously got its common name from its long fin. This shark is found in temperate and tropical seas worldwide. It is commonly lumped together under the name “mako” with its better-known relative, the Shortfin Mako Shark.

Longnosed Sawshark (Pristiophorus cirratus)

Image Source

You’ll probably break the records of Mark Spitz, Matt Biondi, Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps in swimming the moment you see the fearsome-looking Longnosed Sawshark. It is a shark with long saw-like snout found in the eastern Indian Ocean around southern Australia on the Continental shelf at depths of between 40 and 310 m. It is known to attain length of up to 1.35 meters.

Angelshark (Squatina squatina)

Image Source

Do you believe that all angels are beautiful? Take a close look at this angel – the Angelshark- will you consider this a beauty to admire? Be the judge. This creature can be found in the northeast Atlantic at depths down to 150 meters. It can attain a length of up to 1.5 m or 5 ft with a maximum weight of 60 lb or 27 kg.  It is called Monkfish in the UK and has been sold as such for human consumption since the 1970s.

Tropical Sawshark (Pristiophorus delicatus)

Image Source

The small but scary-looking Tropical Sawshark that is native to Australia is a recently described species of sawshark. It can be found at a depth of 246-405 meters (810-1,330 ft). Its specific epithet delicatus is Latin for “delicate”, referring to the fine teeth on its saw-like rostrum.

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)

Image Source

Well, almost everyone is familiar with the Hammerhead because of its very obvious and unusual head. The Scalloped Hammerhead is the most common of all hammerheads.  It is also known as the Bronze, kidney-headed or southern hammerhead. It primarily lives in warm temperate and tropical coastal waters all around the globe down to a depth of 500 meters or 1,600 feet.

Atlantic Angelshark (Squatina dumeril)

Image Source

The Atlantic Angelshark is also informally known as Sand Devil. This is an angelshark found in the outer continental shelf of the western Atlantic.  It is found from the surface to depths of 1,400 meters and its maximum length is 1.5 meters.

Japanese Sawshark (Pristiophorus japonicus)

Image Source

The Japanese Sawshark is another shark with a creepy appearance because of its saw-like rostrum. It can be found in the northwest Pacific Ocean around Japan, Korea, and northern China from the surface to 500 meters. This shark species can grow up to a length of 1.35 meters.

Pacific Angelshark (Squatina californica)

Image Source

The Pacific Angelshark is found in the subtropical waters of the eastern Pacific from southeastern Alaska to the Gulf of California at depths down to 200 meters. This angelshark can grow up to 1.52 meters long. Like many species of shark, reproduction is ovoviviparous, with 6 to 10 pups in a litter.

Brownbanded Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum)

Image Source

As the common name implies, this shark has an unusual brown color which is not quite common among sharks. The Brownbanded Bamboo Shark of the Indo-West Pacific oceans is commonly kept as aquarium pet like the Coral Catshark. It can be found at depths of 85 meters with a recorded length of up to 1.04 meters.  This shark is probably the most suited to aquaria.

Shortnosed Sawshark (Pristiophorus nudipinnis)

Image Source

An encounter with this bizarre creature is like seeing a ghost. The Shortnose Sawshark can be found in the eastern coast of Australia at depths of between 37 and 165 meters. It can attain a length of up to 1.2 meters. Its reproduction is ovoviviparous also with size of pups at birth about 25 cm.

Australian Angelshark (Squatina australis)

Image Source

The Australian Angelshark of the subtropical waters of Australia can be found at depths down to 255 m or 840 feet. Its length is up to 1.52 m or 5 feet. Like most shark species, reproduction is ovoviviparous with up to 20 pups in a litter.

Bahamas Sawshark (Pristiophorus schroederi)

Image Source

The Bahamas Sawshark is found in the western Central Atlantic Ocean from the Bahamas and Cuba at depths of between 400 and 1,000 meters. This sawshark is at least 80 centimeters long. Reproduction is also ovoviviparous.

Japanese Angelshark (Squatina japonica)

Image Source

Of all the species of angelsharks the Japanese Angelshark is the weirdest-looking. It is found in the western Pacific from Japan, the Yellow Sea, Korea, northern China and the Philippines.  It is known to reach a length of up to 2 meters.

Velvet Dogfish (Zameus squamulosus)

Image Source

Even if you’re going to encounter scores of Velvet Dogfish while swimming along the most beautiful beaches in the world like Boracay Beach in the Philippines there’s nothing to fear because this creature is harmless. It is a sleeper shark species found around the world from the surface to 2,000 meters. It can grow to a length of up to 84 centimeters.

Port Jackson Shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni)

Image Source

The nocturnal with large head Port Jackson shark can be found in the coastal region of southern Australia. It has a prominent forehead ridges and can attain a length of up to 5.5 feet or 1.67 meter. The teeth of the Port Jackson Shark are arguably its most distinguishable feature. Unlike other sharks its teeth are different in the front and back. The frontal teeth are small, sharp and pointed, while the latter is flat and blunt.

Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!

See also

• World’s Most Beautifully Patterned and Unique Sharks
• Bizarre Bottom-dwelling Marine Creatures
•  Fascinating and Unique Waterworld Creatures