For the first time, the elusive and often-described “iconic” goblin shark has been observed alive in its natural deep-sea environment, far below the ocean’s surface in complete darkness.
Although the species was first identified more than a century ago, nearly all previous encounters had come only after individuals were accidentally hauled up by fishing operations.
Researchers captured the landmark sighting in 2024 using a remote baited camera in the Tonga Trench in the South Pacific, one of the deepest regions of the world’s oceans, according to a study published last month.
“The Goblin Shark is one of these deep-sea charismatic animals that I never thought we’d see alive, and then to do so was amazing, but to then learn that colleagues in Hawaii also saw one was just incredible,” said Alan Jamieson, a marine biologist and director of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Center, in a press statement issued earlier this week.
Scientists later realized a second encounter had likely already taken place in 2019, when the research vessel M/V Nautilus filmed what was most likely a goblin shark thousands of miles away near Jarvis Island and Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific.
“Seeing the most iconic of all the deep-sea sharks alive and looking healthy in its natural habitat is a unique honour,” Aaron Judah, a researcher in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii, said in a statement about the two sightings.
“I was also very surprised about how deep this species was found. The observation from the slope of the Tonga Trench is nearly 700 meters deeper than this species was known to live.”
The 2019 and 2024 discoveries were complimentary in that the mid-Pacific footage blew open the map on where these creatures roam, while the Tonga Trench encounter shattered previous depth records for the species by 108 meters.
The bizarre predator — averaging about 12 feet long with an almost gelatinous body, oversized snout and razor-like teeth — is a living fossil.
It remains the sole survivor of a family lineage dating back 125 million years, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Now that researchers have proof of life in these zones, the shark can finally be added to official regional biodiversity lists and wildlife management plans.
“New discoveries like this demonstrate that there is still so much to explore in our deep ocean home,” Judah said. “Beforehand we didn’t know it was even there!”
