Rare and mysterious 'goblin shark' filmed in deep ocean habitat
Watch this footage from the Ocean Exploration Trust, Nautilus Live
- Published
Scientists have filmed the mysterious and unusual looking, 'goblin shark' (Mitsukurina owstoni), in its deep ocean habitat.
A team from the University of Hawaii and the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre is studying footage of the incredible creature, which lives deep in the Pacific Ocean.
The study used two videos, one filmed near Jarvis Island in 2019 and the other from a separate mission on the slope of the Tonga Trench in 2024.
The footage gives researchers an exciting glimpse of the unusual shark, known for its long pointed nose and extendable jaw.
Researchers say the videos are big news because goblin sharks have never been seen alive in their natural environment before.
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How was the goblin shark discovered?
Artists were asked to draw how the goblin shark may have looked before the footage was indentified
Researchers using a remotely operated vehicle were exploring deep parts of the Pacific Ocean, near Jarvis Island off Hawaii, in 2019.
During the expedition the shark was recorded by the vehicle, swimming in complete darkness, but it is not until recently that the fish was identified as a super rare goblin shark.
Lead scientist of the project, Dr Brennan Phillips, said; "I never thought we'd see one alive."
The special footage is now helping scientists to learn more about these mysterious deep-sea animals.
What is so special about the goblin shark?
The goblin's extendable jaw, ready for action in the deep.
The elusive deep water shark is known for its rather unusual appearance.
The long snout has special sensors which help it find animals in the dark ocean, its jaw then shoots forward to catch prey at super fast speed.
The goblin is known as a 'living fossil' because its ancestors existed millions of years ago.
Lead author, Aaron Judah, said the team were "very surprised" about how deep the species was found and where it was discovered, nearly 700 metres deeper than this shark was known to live.
He said: "New discoveries like this demonstrate that there is still so much to explore in our deep-ocean home."
Researchers will study the videos to work out how the goblins hunt and move through the water, with the hope of protecting the shark and its unique habitat.
