Researchers Capture First Glimpse of a Goblin Shark Going About Its Life in the Deep Ocean

Marine researchers have recorded a goblin shark moving through its natural surroundings for the first time. Cameras placed in two distant parts of the Pacific Ocean caught the animals gliding past in the darkness, healthy and undisturbed. The clips come from separate expeditions and mark a shift from what scientists had seen before.

Goblin sharks have a unique place in ocean history books, as their family tree spans back nearly 125 million years. They are one of the oldest existing shark groups, with the majority of what we know coming from fishermen’s nets accidentally dragging them up from hundreds of meters deep. All of that has changed with these new videos, one shot on Jarvis Island in the middle Pacific (halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands) and the other on the slopes of the Tonga Trench farther south. Together, these two sets of footage not only disclose where these sharks might be found, but they also extend the verified depth record several hundred meters deeper than anyone had anticipated.

When we look at the sharks on camera, they appear to be different from the dramatic photos we normally see. Older images show them with their teeth spread out and a sharp grin, usually taken after the shark has been killed or when they are stressed. These new videos show their mouths tucked back against their skulls, emphasizing their long, beautiful nose and streamlined physique. Their body shape is soft and stretched, and their little fins appear to be excellent for gliding through the cold, dark water much below the level of sunlight.

So far, researchers’ conclusions about how sharks feed have been very general. According to their findings, the nose is most likely picking up signals from nearby prey, such as fish or crustaceans, and when the time comes, the jaws blast out in a quick, microscopic lunge before leaping back in. None of the new films capture that moment on camera, but the fact that the sharks’ mouths are retracted gives us a far better idea of how they behave on a daily basis.

Professor Alan Jamieson of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre oversaw a long-running inquiry that led to the shark’s discovery in the Tonga trench. He and his crew placed baited cameras on the ocean floor and left them running for several weeks, totaling fifty days, and we only observed the goblin shark for about 20 seconds. Jamieson didn’t expect to see one at all, describing the goblin shark as one of the deep sea’s most interesting species, and the fact that he took live images of it in its native home was a plus.

Colleagues from the University of Hawaii reported to the study group a second observation near Jarvis Island, this time made using a remotely operated submarine. Aaron Judah, one of the participants, remarked that the new data provides a greater understanding of the shark’s habitat, making it easier to add them on more regional biodiversity lists.
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