Goblin Shark
Mitsukurina owstoni
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Sharks and rays
The goblin shark is a rare species of deep-sea shark. Sometimes called a "living fossil", it is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old. This pink-skinned animal has a distinctive profile with an elongated, flat snout, and highly protrusible jaws containing prominent nail-like teeth. It typically reaches a length of 3 to 4 meters when fully grown, although it can grow significantly larger—such as one specimen captured in 2000, which was believed to measure around 6 meters. Goblin sharks are benthopelagic creatures that inhabit upper continental slopes, submarine canyons, and seamounts throughout the world at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft), with adults found deeper than juveniles.
Classification
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Lamniformes
- Family
- Mitsukurinidae
- Genus
- Mitsukurina