The goblin shark is a shark species renowned for its ghoulish appearance and unique profile. It is one of the creepier fish in the ocean. This shark comes from the Mitsukurinidae family, a family of sharks that date back over 125 million years.
Today, the only known representative of this ancient family is the goblin shark, which makes them be considered as a living fossil. This shark possesses several unusual characteristics such as a protruding jaw filled with teeth resembling nails. Their sizes range between 9.8 and 20 ft in length. The goblin shark shrinks with age. They have a wide distribution across the world. They are rarely seen as they mostly inhabit deep zones of the ocean.
The goblin shark has an unusual hunting method of catching its prey unawares before launching attacks with its strangely positioned jaws. The reproductive cycle of this fascinating shark species remains largely unknown. Overall, they are not a threat to humans as they are mainly deep-sea residents, thus are declared by the IUCN as of least concern.
Taxonomy
The goblin shark belongs to the order Lamniformes of the family Mitsukurinidae. The scientific name of the shark is Mitsukurina Owstoni. The name of the species was given in honor of Alan Owston, an English collector of Wildlife.
Morphology
This residing deep-sea shark has pinkish grey and flabby-looking appearance. It has a small rounded fin and a caudal fin with a strong top lobe and no bottom lobe. Its most recognizing features include the flat, elongated snout and large mouth full of long narrow teeth. The average sizes of the goblin shark range between 10 and 13ft long, however, it can be as long as 18 ft.
Adaptation
The shark has sensory nerves in its snout, which help it to locate food as the nerves are capable of sensing the tiniest of electrical fields transmitted by nearby food sources. The jaws of the goblin shark are modified for rapid projection that helps in capturing prey. The posterior teeth of the shark are specialized for crushing.
Feeding
The known prey of the goblin shark includes small bony fish, cephalopods and crabs. They are sluggish predators who feed in mid-water and possibly on or near the ocean floor.
Habitat
The goblin shark is often found in the deepwater environment and rarely seen on the surface. It has a wide range of distribution. It is found along the outer continental shelves, upper slopes, and off seamounts. It has been detected in water at the depth of 4265 feet, as well as waters as shallow as 311 feet.
Reproduction
Not much is known about the reproductive cycle of the goblin shark. Size at birth is not known, but the smallest specimen found was 3.51 feet. The shark is assumed to be ovoviviparous; however, a pregnant female has never been captured for thorough study. Records reveal that mature female goblin sharks visit the east coast of Honshu during the springtime, which could have something to do with the reproductive pattern.
Life span
The lifespan of the shark is believed to be 30 to 35 years.
References
Fact Animal (2019). Global Shark Profile. Retrieved from https://factanimal.com/goblin-shark/
Jordan, V (2019). Mistukurina Owstoni. Fluorida museum. Retrieved from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/mitsukurina-owstoni/
Keartes, S (2016, August 20). The goblin shark’s slingshot jaws are the fastest of any shark species. Retrieved from https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/how-it-works/the-goblin-sharks-slingshot-jaws-are-the-fastest-of-any-shark-species/
Marinebio (2019). Globin Sharks. Mitsukurina owstoni. Retrieved from https://marinebio.org/species/goblin-sharks/mitsukurina-owstoni/
McGrouther, M (2019 March 15). Globin Shark. Mitsukurina owstoni. Retrieved from https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/fishes/goblin-shark-mitsukurina-owstoni/
Smithsonian (2019). The Globin Shark. Retrieved from https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/goblin-shark