The ocean is full of strange creatures, but few are as bizarre (or as nightmare-inducing) as the goblin shark. In our top ten goblin shark facts, we'll uncover the interesting, horrifying and fun secrets of these rarely seen deep sea predators, from their protruding snouts to their needle-like teeth and extendable jaws.
The goblin of the underwater world
First up of our list of goblin shark facts is their scientific name, Mitsukurina owstoni, which honours Japanese scientist Kakichi Misukuri and British naturalist Alan Owston, who first discovered the shark. But let's be honest - 'goblin shark' is a much catchier (and creepier) name. This title pays tribute to its eerie, almost mythical appearance, which reminded early researchers of a goblin from Japanese folklore... and once you see its face, you'll understand why.
The stuff of deep-sea nightmares
The goblin shark's appearance is so horrifically mesmerising it's hard to look away. With their long flat snouts, ghostly pinkish colour - due to their thin skin - and razor-sharp teeth, they look like a relic from another time (which, in a way, they are - but more on that later). Still, the most unsettling feature is their extendable jaws, which lengthen at a frightening ten feet per second.
A not-so-picky deep-sea diner
Goblin sharks aren't too picky when it comes to food. The goblin shark diet consists mainly of deep-sea fish, squid and crustaceans - basically, whatever unlucky creature happens to swim too close. Thanks to their highly sensitive snouts - which can detect electrical signals from prey - they can hunt even in the pitch-black depths of the ocean. Good luck hiding.
A giant of the deep
Goblin sharks are no small fry. Most adults measure between ten and 13ft long, with some goblin sharks measuring over 18ft. That's roughly the size of a great white shark. However, they're far less muscular than their famous cousins, giving them a somewhat lank and sluggish appearance.
Home is where the darkness is
If you're hoping to spot a goblin shark while snorkelling, you're out of luck. These elusive creatures prefer the dark, deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, usually between 200 and 1,300m below the surface - that's deeper than most submarines can go. They've even been found in the midnight zone, a habitat 1,000 to 4,000m deep that's constantly cloaked in darkness. Because of this, humans rarely see them, making them one of the oceans' most mysterious sharks.
The ocean's ultimate jump scare
The goblin shark's most terrifying (and coolest) feature? Their extendable jaws. When they detect prey, their jaw shoots forward, snatching up the victim in a blink. This mechanism, known as a protrusible jaw, is the exact same type that snakes have - and goblin sharks have one of the most extreme versions of it in the animal kingdom.
A living fossil
Goblin sharks are prehistoric and belong to the family Misturkurinidae, which dates back a humble 125 million years. This means goblin sharks have been lurking in the depths since dinosaurs roamed the earth, and in all that time, have barely changed. Old habits die hard.
Slow and steady wins the race
Unlike the fast and powerful great white shark, the goblin shark is more of a slow and steady predator. These creatures drift through the water like they're on a lazy river, using their flabby body and low-density liver to stay buoyant. This means they don't need to waste energy constantly swimming - instead, they lurk in the deep, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to drift in their direction.
The ocean’s best-kept secret
Because goblin sharks live in such deep, hard-to-reach waters, we still don't know much about their behaviour. Scientists rarely encounter them alive, and most of what we know about these ancient creatures comes from them being accidentally caught by deep-sea fishing vessels. Are they solitary hunters? Do they migrate? How do they reproduce? These are all questions that remain largely unanswered. In other words, the goblin shark knows how to keep a secret.
Harmless to humans
Despite their unsettling appearance, goblin sharks pose no threat to humans. They live in waters far deeper than we can swim or dive in, and they aren't aggressive (that we know of). If anything, they're more of a deep-sea oddity than a real danger. That being said, if you ever did encounter one in the wild, we wouldn't blame you for swimming in the other direction, just in case...
If you enjoyed this blog, you may also enjoy Our Top Ten Tiger Shark Facts, Our Top Ten Thresher Shark Facts or Our Top Ten Hammerhead Shark Facts.
