Goblin Sharks

Class Chondrichthyes

Common Name: Goblin Shark

Scientific Name: Mitsukurina owstoni

Authority: Chris Shearer and Sam Smart (CSIRO August 2, 2004)

Meaning of Scientific Name: This scientific name means to be mild or smooth. It can also mean to appease or to be gentle. (University of Notre Dame, 2007)

Description: This intriguing creature is a very frightful fish. It is equipped with a flattened snout that protrudes from its forehead. We speculate is it used for sifting through mud for food. Also, it isn't used to kill prey; it seems to help pick up electrical signals given off by other fish. The goblin shark is completely gray with slight pink stripes. This is due to the fact that their blood vessels are so close to their skin. They are set apart from other fish because of their absent lower lobe on their caudal fin. Most benthic sharks possess this absentee, but it is rare. Also, oddly enough the female goblin sharks grow larger than the male sharks. (Berger, 1987; Compagno, 1984; Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999; Rorem, 2002)

Habitat: Goblin sharks live in the benthic and pelagic zones of marine waters. They rarely migrate, or move from their birth habitats. Goblin sharks are likely to be found directly under mud or even in some plants. They are rarely seen because of this.

Habits: They are very lazy creatures. They rarely hunt, and if they do it is usually the females that do the hunting. Most of the time they wait for their food to come to them. Therefore, they probably feed mostly at night when other fish are looking for food. They tend to hide in mud to camouflage themselves while they hunt. (Martin, 1999)

Breeding: Goblin sharks develop directly from birth so this makes them a viviparous reproducer. It is unknown when they become sexually mature, but it is thought to be a so slow development. In the same turn, there haven't been any studies regarding mating to even their relative gestation period. The fact that they could have a slow development could be why they are a very low key animal and rarely mentioned.

Range: Goblin sharks seem to have a very wide range. They have been spotted in Japan, and off the coasts of New Zealand, and Southern Africa. They are abundant in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean as well. (Duffy, 1997; Martin 1999)