Goblin Shark

deep-sea · living fossil · extreme ocean

Ancient shark family. Goblin sharks are the last surviving member of a shark family that has existed for about 125 million years, making them true living fossils from the age of dinosaurs.

Deep ocean dweller. These sharks live on the ocean floor at depths greater than 330 feet, and recent footage shows they can swim even deeper than 6,560 feet down where almost no light reaches.

Weird snout shape. A goblin shark's most distinctive feature is its long, flat, blade-like snout that sticks out from its face like a giant spatula, which it likely uses to sense prey in the darkness.

Super stretchy jaws. Their jaws can open incredibly wide and shoot forward to catch prey, and they're filled with unusual nail-shaped teeth that are perfect for gripping slippery fish and squid.

Surprisingly big. Most goblin sharks grow to about 10 to 13 feet long, but the largest one ever found measured around 20 feet, making them much bigger than you'd expect for such a rare fish.