Mitsukurina owstoni
goblin shark

Originally caught in Japan, the range is wide, but not evenly distributed. The majority of known specimens come from bays of Japan while the rest are mostly found off New Zealand, southern Africa, and in the Eastern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Two specimens have been taken off the Mississippi and California coasts of the United States. Though this probably encompasses the range of Mitsukurina owstoni, sightings are so rare and widespread that the presence of goblin sharks could extend well beyond these areas. (Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999)

Goblin sharks seem to live in the mid and deep-water zones of outer continental shelves and slopes. (Martin, 1999)

Mitsukurina owstoni is a fearsome looking fish with a large, flattened snout protruding from the top of its head, and has movable jaws than can extend to catch prey. The exact purpose of the flat snout is unknown, but as it is not hard or sharp enough to pin or kill prey, it is probably used to detect the faint electric signals that other fish give off. Goblin sharks have rubbery skin, rather than denticles (the sharp, pointed scales found on most sharks). Due to the blood vessels that are close to the skin, the shark has a pinkish-grey color in life, though in death it appears quite colorless because of its lack of pigment. Teeth are slender and fang-like, similar to those of the sand tiger shark. Another feature that separates goblin sharks from most other sharks is the lack of a lower lobe on the tail fin, which is also absent in other benthic sharks. Female specimens seem to be slightly larger than the males. (Berger, 1987; Compagno, 1984; Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999; Rorem, 2002)

Mitsukurina owstoni develop directly from birth, and are probably ecologically similiar to free-swimming adults when they emerge from the mother. It is not known at what age they become sexually mature, but are immature to about 2.3 m. (Martin, 1999)

No goblin sharks have been studied in the wild, so not much is known about their ages or lifespans. No individuals have ever been held in captivity. (Martin, 1999)

Due to its morphology, it is assumed that Mitsukurina owstoni is rather sluggish and accomplishes most of its hunting by swimming lazily or waiting for vertically migrating animals to come within striking distance. The protruding jaws allow substantial bites, but otherwise, Mitsukurina owstoni is not a fast or active predator. Since it seems to feed on migratory fish, it is probably active in the evening and/or morning when the migrations are going on, but there are no direct accounts of feeding times. Based on the dentition and stomach contents of this shark, scientists know it is a predator. Another theory has goblin sharks actively hunting for benthic prey using electroreceptors on its enlarged snout (similar to hammerhead sharks) and using this snout to dig up any prey it detects underneath the sand. (Compagno, 1984; Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999)

Home Range

There are no available data on home range, or territories of goblin sharks.

Like all sharks, goblin sharks probably hunt using their senses of smell, sight, sound and the electrical sensing organs called ampullae of Lorenzini. Due to the depth at which they live, eyesight is probably less useful than other senses. The snout (which is abnormally large in Mitsukurina owstoni) houses the ampullae of Lorenzini which are attuned to catching otherwise undetectable prey in dark waters or on the bottom.

There is no available data on communication within the species. (Compagno, 1984; Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999; Rorem, 2002)

Mitsukurina owstoni appears to feed mid-water or close to the bottom where it uses a combination of electrical sensors, smell and (minimal) eyesight to catch any vertically migrating animals that it comes across. It is also possible that they stay deep and scan the bottom for prey. Stomach records are rare, and include parts of squid, fish, ostracods, and crabs. (Compagno, 1984; Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999; Rorem, 2002)

There are no known predators of the goblin shark except for infrequent Japanese fishermen. (Martin, 1999)

As it is often difficult to deduce ecosystem roles in easily studied environments, it comes as no surprise that nothing is known about goblin sharks' role in the mid-water or benthic community besides its role as a predator.

There are no known adverse affects of goblin sharks on humans.

Mitsukurina owstoni has minimal economic importance. Apparently it is sometimes fished commercially off Japan. (Martin, 1999)

The goblin shark is rarely found, but not thought to be threatened. (CITES, 2004; International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2002)

Most of the biology of Mitsukurina owstoni is unknown due to the rarity of sightings and specimens. However, though rarely seen, this shark is thought to be fairly common because of its wide range. Nonetheless, because it lives in deep waters, is not a common sight for humans. Most of the information is partial, and deduced from the morphology of the shark and from samples of the few existing specimens. Other common names include: imp shark, elfin shark, and tenguzame(Japanese). Differences in extension of jaws in death lead to confusion over how many species of Mitsukurina there actually are. As of now, there is only one recognized species. However, the extant goblin shark is considered to be very closely related to a similar Cretaceous shark genus Scapanorhynchus, known from fossils. (Compagno, 1984; Duffy, 1997; Martin, 1999)