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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing goblin sharks. Goblin sharks are also known as imp sharks, elfin sharks, and tenguzame. This last name comes from Japan where these sharks were first scientifically recorded. Goblin sharks, with their long nose and pink complexion, resemble the Japanese mythical creature the tengu. Can you see why the sharks would get this name? These long-nosed sharks are the only living species in their family. The rest of the extinct members are only known through fossil records. Goblin sharks have an imposing face, but very few people have seen a living goblin shark. They’re considered one of the rarest sharks to see, though that might give the wrong impression as they’ve been found in many scattered places throughout the world. Most prevalently seen in Japan and New Zealand, goblin sharks have been recorded from every major ocean suggesting they may have a world wide distribution.

Goblin sharks inhabit water between 400 and 4,000 feet (122-1220m) deep. Juveniles have been observed closer to the surface, sometimes even coming close enough for humans to swim with, though this is exceptionally rare. They are associated with continental slopes and seamounts which could suggest that they patrol the bottom for food, but they may also search for prey in the mesopelagic zone, also known as the twilight zone of the ocean. Goblin sharks likely use their huge nose in detecting electromagnetic fields in the water - such as the pulse of a heart - which make it an easy task to find prey in the eternal night of the deep ocean. They may also use this shovel-like nose to dig in the sand at the bottom of the ocean when hidden prey has been detected. Ultimately, since there is scant information, it’s not entirely known how or where these sharks hunt.

While details may be scarce, it is known that goblin sharks are predators. The stomach contents of studied specimens have revealed a diet of squid, fish, and crustaceans such as isopods. A goblin shark’s back teeth are made for crushing these hard-shelled animals. Its front teeth, however, stick out in sharp points, not until a sand tiger shark’s teeth. Goblin sharks launch their jaws forward at just over 10 feet (3.1m) per second to suck up a meal in its entirety. The distance a goblin shark’s jaws extend from their tucked-up position can be as much as 9% of its body length. Something to note, however, is that when a goblin shark has its jaws pushed out, they’re actually relaxing their jaw muscles! So, that’s where their jaws naturally sit. Goblin sharks, however, swim with their jaws tucked up, locked, and loaded under their huge nose. They have to be able to move their jaws in an instant because they’re not fast swimmers. Goblin sharks don’t even have a lower lobe on their tail fin which is in contrast to many other shark species. They may even simply drift through the ocean waiting for animals to pass by during their nightly migration, a phenomenon we’ve discussed previously in episodes like our nautilus episode.

It’s not known how long goblin sharks live or when or even how they reproduce. It is known that goblin sharks up to 7.5 feet (2.3m) in length are still immature. Based on the few recorded specimens, goblin sharks are believed to reach at least 18 feet (5.49m) at maximum size, with their average size potentially lying somewhere between 10 (3.05m) and 13 feet (3.96m). It’s generally accepted that goblin sharks have no predators besides humans, however, they are found with tapeworms in their intestines, two of which were previously unclassified tapeworm species. Further research could reveal that goblin sharks make up multiple species as opposed to the single species they are currently classified as differences in how they look in death have pointed to this potential outcome.

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