Goblin Shark: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Shark Week · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. A goblin shark's jaws catapult forward to grab prey, at top speeds of 3.14 m per second.
2. A 2024 video caught a goblin shark at 2,000 m deep. Researchers had thought they only went down to about 1,300 m.
3. A 2023 catch in Taiwan was a pregnant female goblin shark of 4.7 m weighing 800 kg, far above the previous 210 kg record.
4. The goblin shark is the lone survivor of a lineage that goes back roughly 125 million years.
5. Goblin sharks have been caught in all three major oceans, from the Gulf of Mexico to waters off Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.

The quiz

1. What does a goblin shark's jaw strike resemble?

• A mousetrap
• A catapult (correct)
• A zipper
• A slow yawn

Stretched ligaments release and catapult the jaws forward.

2. How deep was a goblin shark filmed in 2024?

• 200 m
• 1,300 m
• 20 m
• 2,000 m (correct)

A 2024 video captured an adult at 2,000 m.

3. How much did the pregnant female caught in Taiwan in 2023 weigh?

• 800 kg (correct)
• 210 kg
• 80 kg
• 8,000 kg

She weighed 800 kg, far above the previous record of 210 kg.

4. Roughly how long ago did the goblin shark's lineage begin?

• About 125,000 years
• About 5 million years
• About 125 million years (correct)
• About 500 million years

The lineage goes back roughly 125 million years.

5. In how many major oceans have goblin sharks been caught?

• Only one
• Only two
• None, only seas
• All three (correct)

They have been caught in all three major oceans.

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