Welcome back to a spooky edition of Finn Friday! In honor of the amazing holiday that is Halloween, we are continuing our ‘creepy’ themed content with a special deep-sea dweller, the Goblin shark! There are many reasons I love the Goblin shark, but their crazy bite is definitely at the top of the list. Now, let's dive deep and learn all about the amazing Goblin shark!
Where do they live?
Goblin sharks are most commonly found off the coast of Japan in the western Pacific Ocean. However, they have also been seen in the Atlantic off the coasts of France, Portugal, Senegal, and a few other countries as well as in the Indian Ocean off the coasts of South Africa and Mozambique. They live deep in the ocean near the seafloor, so humans rarely encounter them except as bycatch from deep-sea trawling ships.
How long do they live?
Because Goblin sharks are so rare, scientists don’t know much about their lives. They have rarely been observed in the wild, and have never been held in captivity. The vast majority of what we know comes from specimens caught as accidental bycatch. Because of this, we don’t really know what their average lifespan is.
What do they eat?
Again, we don’t have a lot of information, unfortunately. Scientists have been able to study a couple of specimens that were caught as bycatch and their stomach contents showed that they ate squid, fish, ostracods (shrimp/lobsters), and crabs.
What do they like to do?
I feel like the theme of today is "we don’t really know", but scientists have made some educated guesses based on what they do know. They believe Goblin sharks are most likely solitary animals, like most sharks. Based on where they live and their physical characteristics, they believe Goblin sharks are most likely pretty sluggish and slow-moving. Now, this would make catching prey a bit difficult, but that is where their amazing bite comes in.
So, let's get into this bite I keep talking about. When Goblin sharks go to chomp down on their prey, something amazing happens with their jaws; they extend out in front of their body! It's almost like they just kinda throw their mouth at their prey. Every time I see a video of it my mind is fully blown.
Conservation status:
According to the IUCN Red List, Goblin sharks are listed as least concern. This means they do not seem to be at risk for extinction and their population is most likely pretty stable.
Thanks for learning with me! I know I had a lot of fun exploring the deep and learning about the mysterious Goblin shark. What do you think about Goblin sharks' crazy bite? Do you have any other questions about Goblin sharks? Let me know below!
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