Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) lives in deep ocean across Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans. It feeds on deep sea fish. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Goblin Shark
- Goblin sharks can dive far deeper than most people expect, a 2024 video captured an adult at 2,000 m (6,560 ft), well beyond the typical 100 m+ range for the species. Researchers had previously thought they only went down to about 1,300 m (4,270 ft) for short periods, and they normally inhabit upper continental slopes, submarine canyons and seamounts at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft).
- The combined protrusion is 2.1-9.5 times greater than in other sharks, and the lower jaw moves about twice as fast as the upper, reaching a top speed of 3.14 m/s (10.3 ft/s). This rapid, catapult-like strike lets a sluggish swimmer capture fast-moving teleosts and squid.
- Most goblin sharks grow to 3-4 m (10-13 ft), but they can become giants. A specimen caught in 2000 was estimated at 6 m (20 ft) long, and a 2023 catch in Taiwan was a 4.7-m (15-ft) pregnant female weighing 800 kg (1,800 lb), far above the previous weight record of 210 kg (460 lb) for a 3.8-m (12.5-ft) shark. These outliers reveal that the species' size ceiling is much higher than once thought.
- The goblin shark is the lone survivor of a lineage that stretches back roughly 125 million years, making it a living window into ancient shark evolution. It is the only extant member of the family Mitsukurinidae, whose roots lie in the Aptian age of the Cretaceous (c. 125-113 Ma), and phylogenetic studies place it as the most basal member of the Lamniformes order. This deep-time heritage explains its mix of primitive traits and why scientists label it a "living fossil."
- Goblin sharks roam all three major oceans, from the Gulf of Mexico to the waters off Japan, New Zealand and South Africa, showing a truly global footprint. They are most often caught on upper continental slopes between 270 m and 960 m (890-3,150 ft), but have been recorded as deep as 1,300 m (4,300 ft) and even 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
Sources
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At a glance
RangeAtlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans
HabitatDeep ocean
DietDeep sea fish
About the Goblin Shark
In the dark, mysterious depths of the ocean, the goblin shark glides with an otherworldly elegance, its pinkish-brown body undulating as it navigates the desolate seafloor. With a flabby, elongated snout and jaws lined with tiny, needle-like teeth, this ancient creature is a master of the dimly lit abyss, its electroreceptive organs guiding it through the darkness in search of unsuspecting prey. As it moves, its soft, flaccid body seems to absorb the faint glow of bioluminescent creatures, rendering it all but invisible in the blackness.
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