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Animal profile

Goblin Shark

Mitsukurina owstoni

ChondrichthyesDeep water along continental slopes and submarine canyons, mostly between 200 and 1,300 metresLeast Concern

Field profile

The goblin shark is a flabby, pinkish deep-sea shark with a long flattened snout and nail-like teeth, reaching three to four metres. Its pink colour comes from blood vessels showing through translucent skin. It is the only living member of a family known otherwise from fossils over 100 million years old.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-04-18

Goblin Shark

The goblin shark slingshots its jaws forward

Goblin sharks catch prey with the most extreme jaw protrusion of any shark. Rare deep-sea footage shows the whole jaw apparatus slingshot forward almost to the tip of the long snout, reaching nearly a tenth of the body length in under half a second.

Read with evidence →

Goblin Shark | Daily Animal Facts