Published By: Sougata Dutta

Goblin Sharks - Some Unusual Creatures

The living magic of nature!

The goblin shark has many unique characteristics. For example, its flexible fins reveal that it moves very slowly. These strange looking fish are mainly found on the seabed. Would you like to know more? Let's find out some oddities about goblin sharks together!

Have Unique Names

The goblin shark is also known as the 'living fossil' because the family to which this distinctive looking shark belongs stretches back millions of years. Despite its large range, which includes parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, the goblin shark is most commonly spotted off the coast of Japan. The shark is called “zame” in Japanese. The monster is  sometimes referred to as the "Elven Shark".

As old as dinosaurs

About 125 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic, the Mitsukurinidae family appeared.It was when there were dinosaurs  on earth. The oldest Mitsukurina fossils date from the middle Eocene 49 to 37 million years ago. So far, the  fossil species Mitsukurina lineata and Mitsukurina maslinensis have been identified.

Shrinks with age

The goblin shark has a long, flat snout that gets shorter with age. They are so rare and enigmatic that it is impossible to understand why.

Eats Anything

The goblin shark is a bottom-feeding opportunist, sometimes even consuming manufactured products. Unfortunately, there is evidence that goblin sharks eat debris found near the seabed where they typically live.

Have a proper hunting routine

Like a slow swimmer with poor eyesight, the goblin shark ambushes. Low-density meat and foie gras make the swimming shark neutral. The goblin shark can hunt the snack without making much movement to warn off prey.The goblin shark's jaws can snap forward when  prey is nearby, unknowingly grabbing  fish or sea creatures.

Changes colour even after death

Posthumous goblin sharks are uniformly brown or grey rather than pink. As a result, you can rest assured that any  brown goblin shark image you see is  a preserved dead shark.

Different and numerous teeth

In the many rows of teeth they have, there is a great difference in the length and width of each individual tooth. The teeth  in the goblin shark's main jaw  are long and narrow, gradually tapering as they near the centre of the jaw. These grooves run the length of the tooth and are quite thin.The incisors in the back row, closest to the angles of the jaw, tend to be smaller and flatter.