Goblin Sharks – an Underwater Enigma

Little is known of the goblin shark in the scientific community, seeing that it dwells within the virtually inaccessible depths of the ocean. The pink-skinned shark is named after its singularly sharp snout resembling a goblin’s, in the case of the Japanese fisherman who had chanced upon the first known capture of the said creature, the prominent nose of the tengu in Japanese folklore. It is also characterized by a protrusive mouth which ensnares prey by protruding out and latching its teeth to it.

Image from Discovery Channel

The mask of the tengu, image from Victory Manual

The goblin shark could be found virtually throughout the world, from Australia in the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic, though most encounters of it are made in Japanese waters ever since the first recorded capture of the animal, and since encounters of it do not pass on a regular basis, till now almost everything about it, including its breeding habits, remains a conundrum yet to be resolved completely. These creatures could grow to a good 4 metres and feed mainly on things deep-sea, namely deep-sea squid, deep-sea fish, crabs and so forth. At the first mention of the word ‘shark’, one may unconsciously be placed under the impression that goblin sharks are not without the brutality and sheer ruthlessness as portrayed by ‘Jaws’. In reality, considering the fact that these creatures dwell well beyond average diving depths of the ocean, goblin sharks do not pose as much of a threat to mankind as a gurgling baby would. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that these creatures would not succumb to the urge of ripping a chunk off the condiment-saturated goodness of a human behind as the great white cousins would. Probably.

Below is footage of a goblin shark biting the sleeve of a scuba diver’s outfit taken by a US documentary team which had rocketed the creature to online fame and fortune:

I stand corrected.