Meet Goblin Shark: The ‘living fossil’ of the ocean 

The unfathomable depths of an ocean harbour many secrets of nature, weird creatures, a diverse range   of flora and fauna and much more. The goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is one of the ocean's most enigmatic and misunderstood species. The odd, elongated snout and projecting jaw of this deep-sea shark makes it quite unappealing to look at. Due to its creepy appearance, we bet it would be difficult to find someone who is fond of this fish! But love it or loathe it, there are some facts about this marine creature that will fascinate you for sure!  

Goblin shark at a glance 
A kind of shark, the goblin fish is a deep-sea animal and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. It is most frequently spotted off the coastlines of Japan. They were first identified by David Starr Jordan, an American ichthyologist (born;1851, died;1931) in 1898 under the name ‘Mitsukurina’ off the coastline of Japan.  

Goblin sharks have a flabby body and pinkish, transparent skin that literally exposes their veins. They are large animals with an average length of 12 feet (3.6 metres) and a weight of 400 pounds (181 kilograms).  The goblin shark's lower jaw has between 31 and 62 rows of teeth, while the upper jaw has anywhere between 35 and 53 rows! It can open its mouth at an amazing 111 degrees and can quickly and completely consume out-of-reach food in the briefest amount of time! Amazing, isn’t it? 

‘Living fossils’ of the ocean 
Creatures that are thought to be among the oldest on the planet are called as ‘living fossils.’ Goblin sharks are regarded as living fossils because they were formerly believed that the species had gone extinct.  

Scientists experienced a case of déjà vu when the goblin shark species was ‘discovered,’ and they realized that goblin sharks have been detected earlier too — though not in water but on land, in the form of fossils. More than 100 million years old, shark fossils of the Scapanorhynchus species had been found. They resemble the goblin shark in a significant way. Since the species was thought to have gone extinct, goblin sharks are now marked as living fossils. 

Named after Japanese folklore 
Goblin sharks were accidently caught by Japanese fishermen. They noticed the sharks' projecting long noses, which reminded them of legends about the demon called ‘tengu.’ The mythical demon from Japanese folklore had a long nose and red face. So, the fishermen started referring to the sharks as ‘tengu-zame.’ The Japanese word for shark is ‘zame.’ Later, when they translated this name into English, it translated to ‘goblin shark.’ Another name for the goblin shark is the ‘elfin shark,’ owing to its elf-like long snout.  

Goblin shark fact file  

• The goblin shark is a deep diver and is typically observed swimming at depths between 890 and 3,150 feet and as deep as 4,300 feet. 
• Goblin sharks are very slow swimmers, because of their flabby bodies, with short fins and flexible tails, that are not intended for fast swimming. 
• A goblin shark doesn’t have pink pigmentation. Instead of a pigment, the oxygenated blood coursing through their capillaries, which is very visible because of their transparent skin, gives them their pink appearance.