“This must be some sort of inbred shark. An evolutionary mistake,” I thought after watching the above clip. To my knowledge, sharks have never had extendable jaws. And I’ve watched every single Jaws movie.
The goblin shark is a veritable living fossil with a lineage that can be traced back an estimated 125 million years to the Mitsukurinidae family. The fact that adults live almost exclusively deeper than 300 feet means it’s far less susceptible to being preyed upon and, therefore, extinction. Offspring don’t live at as deep of a depth, but are still typically out of reach of fishermen and are rarely ever caught.
Full-grown goblin sharks range from 10-13 feet in length (3-4 meters) but can be far bigger. The heaviest goblin shark on record weighed in at 460 pounds. They don’t have a very firm exterior so a shark with the length of car but with the firmness of a sponge is a bizarre thought. Then again, so is this, which I think is an apt comparison.
While this crazy sea creature isn’t something you’ll likely encounter, and is no danger if you are to come in contact, it’s definitely the most eccentric shark in the sea.
