10 freaky-looking sharks that actually exist

REUTERS/David Loh

When most people think of sharks, a particular image comes to mind: a dorsal fin sticking out of the water, or for some people, just the very fictional great white shark from "Jaws."

And while the average person really has no reason to worry about sharks in the first place, depictions of sharks in popular media tend to focus on just a few species: white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks, especially.

But there are all kinds of different sharks out there — more than 500 species, in a great variety of shapes and sizes. They've been around since before the dinosaurs, and the vast majority of species have never even accidentally nibbled on a human swimmer. 

So check out some of the weirdest, most fascinating creatures in the ocean.

The rarely seen megamouth shark can live 100 years and resides thousands of feet below the surface — but it rises up at night to snack on tiny plankton.

Source: Reuters, Discovery

Though they are almost never seen and don't get to be much larger than 6 feet, the frilled shark certainly looks like it could be responsible for tales of ancient sea monsters — check out those rows of teeth!

This teeny tiny pocket shark, discovered last year, is just the second one ever found.

Source: Business Insider