Deep-sea shark with protruding eyes and terrifying grin is caught in Australia

It has huge bulging, glassy eyes, and a mouth which creepily curls upwards, to show a sickening smile with sharp tiny teeth

A shark which looks like some kind of nightmarish fish has recently been caught in Australia.

It has huge protruding eyes, and a mouth turned into a sickening smile with sharp tiny teeth.

A fisherman named Trapman Bermagui shared a photo of the shark to Facebook on Monday, prompting thousands of responses from social media users.

The post notes that the shark was found 650 metres (approximately 2,132 feet) below sea level.

It reads: “The face of a deep sea rough skin shark.”

Bermagui told USA TODAY that deep water sharks are common on the southeast coast of Australia, typically in water deeper than approximately 1,312 feet.

However, as the water is so deep, fishermen don’t usually catch these types of shark, he added.

Social media users believe it’s a cookie cutter shark, however the fisherman shared a photo of one and said the most recent catch doesn’t look the same.

According to Bermagui, the sea creature weighs about 33 pounds and is five feet long.

The fisherman who shared the shark photo said there are rules allowing a small catch of sharks weekly that includes a dozen different species.

If it is an endeavor dogfish – apparently another name for the rough skin shark – it’s listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The organisation is renowned for being one of the most respected resources on extinction risks for plants, animals and fungi.

According to the IUCN, endeavor dogfish typically measure 75 to 89 centimeters.

The maximum recorded length for an endeavor dogfish is just over 43 inches, while the maximum published weight is 7.3 kilograms, or about 16 pounds.

The IUCN reported in 2020: “Across the regions, the Endeavour Dogfish was estimated and suspected to be declining in parts of its range (southeast Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Andaman Islands) and suspected to be stable in Japan.

“The species has refuge across part of Western Australia and off Northeast Australia, and off the west Pacific Islands where there are no known deep-water fisheries.”

But as one Facebook user wrote: “The deep sea is another planet down… wild looking creatures.”