This Terrifying Deep-Sea Shark Really Earns Its Spooky Name

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Sharks have been the nightmare of fishermen and beach-goers for ages.

When I picture a shark, it’s usually a great white or a hammerhead, because that’s what I’ve grown up seeing in movies and nature documentaries.

But lurking down in the deep sea is a truly terrifying creature that really lives up to its name: the goblin shark.


Between its pink skin, needle teeth, and retractable jaw, this thing has got all the makings of a monster.

Even though they’re found pretty much worldwide and have been around for 125 million years, goblin sharks are usually no threat to humans.

Because they live so far below the ocean’s surface, they rarely even interact with us. Instead, they prefer to eat small fish and crustaceans and mind their own business. They’re even called “lazy” and “sluggish” by scientists who study them.

When goblin sharks have been captured alive, they’ve only lived for a short time in aquariums before dying, so not much is known about their behavior or reproduction.

I wouldn’t get in a goblin shark’s way, though. This rare footage shows the shark’s jaw protruding as it bites the wetsuit-covered arm of a diver.

Yikes! As science advances, we can only hope to learn more about goblin sharks and all the other creepy creatures of the deep.

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