Proof the Ocean Is Wilder Than Sci-Fi
Today's blog is going to be about one of the strangest creatures inhabiting the ocean - the goblin shark. With its elongated snout, pale skin, and a jaw that can snap forward in an instant, it looks more like something from a science fiction movie than a real fish that should be in the ocean. This lil guy is rarely seen and not a lot is known about it, yet this mysterious shark has been swimming in our oceans for over 125 million years, earning its nickname as a “living fossil.” They are from an ancient family called the Mitsukurinidae family from the early Cretaceous period, and they haven't changed much since they coexisted right along side the dinosaurs and are the last remaining species of their kind.
Why haven't they changed much in millions of years? That's due to their habitat - living in the deep sea - an environment that is incredibly stable compared to the surface world. Down there, temperatures are cold, light is nearly nonexistent, and conditions don’t fluctuate dramatically over time. When an environment stays consistent for millions of years, animals that are already well adapted to it don’t face strong evolutionary pressure to change, thus is the case for the goblin shark.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few quick facts about the goblin shark species:
-
Goblin sharks live in deep water, usually 300–4,000 feet below the surface.
-
Their skin looks pink because their blood vessels show through their semi-transparent skin.
-
They have a long, flattened snout filled with electroreceptors that help them detect prey in total darkness.
-
Their jaws can shoot forward in less than a second to grab prey. This makes it one of the fastest jaw projections among sharks.
-
They mainly eat deep-sea fish, squid, and crustaceans.
-
Goblin sharks can grow up to about 10–13 feet long, though most are smaller.
-
They are rarely seen alive because they live so deep in the ocean.
-
The first goblin shark was discovered off the coast of Japan in 1898.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The goblin shark is a big reminder about how much we don't know about our planet, or the species that reside here along side us. Living close to 125 million years, but never seen by human eyes until little over a hundred years ago, and living at such depths that they are still rarely seen today. Pictures and information about them are extremely rare, and most of what scientists understand comes from the few specimens accidentally caught in deep sea fishing nets. Until technology allows us to explore the deep ocean more freely, the goblin shark will likely remain one of the sea’s most mysterious and least understood predators.
Although the goblin shark may look intimidating, it poses no real threat to humans. Its survival across millions of years highlights how stable and mysterious the deep ocean environment truly is. Studying species like the goblin shark not only helps scientists understand marine ecosystems, but also reminds us of the importance of protecting habitats we don't know all that much about yet.
Edited by Sakura
-
3
-
3
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
3
19 Comments
Recommended Comments