First in situ observations reveal that Mitsukurina Owstoni lives in the open sea and at greater depths than previously thought

For the first time, a scientific study reports the in situ observation of the goblin shark, one of the most fascinating and mysterious creatures of the deep. Until now, we had only been able to observe it following accidental captures, which decreed its death within a short time. Thanks to underwater images from two expeditions that took place far apart in time and space – one in 2019 in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the other in 2024 in the Tonga Trench – we now know that the goblin shark also lives in the Central Pacific, far from coastal areas. And we can say we've observed it, twice, in its natural habitat.

Goblin shark observed in situ for the first time

The first known sighting of the goblin shark (mitsukurina owstoni) dates back to 1897. A Japanese fisherman caught a rather small male specimen. Obviously, by mistake. Since then, all sightings of this sole surviving lamniform of the Mitsukurinidae family have occurred following accidental catches by fishermen: the goblin shark lives in the ocean depths that we have just begun to explore; to meet him, you have to somehow drag him to the surface.

Scientists call it one of the most elusive and iconic stars on the planet. But for the first time, they can say they've observed it. in its natural environmentOn two different occasions. It all started with a 2019 expedition of theOcean Exploration Trust on an unexplored seamount northwest of Jarvis Island, in the central Pacific. When the doctoral student Aaron Judah of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, who works at the Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab and the Deep-Sea Animal Research Center (DARC), was annotating the footage, he realized he was in front of the first observation in situ of a specimen of mitsukurina owstoni.

“I was shocked to hear this because this species was not known to be found in the Central Pacific,”

Judah said.

Until now we have believed that the range of the species was limited to very few coastal regionsThe deep-sea pink shark, which extends its jaw, also lives in the open sea. This is confirmed by the second observation that reached Judah's desk, which occurred in 2024 in the Tonga Trench, north of New Zealand. And so we finally have the first two observations. in situ of the goblin shark.

“Seeing the most iconic of all deep-sea sharks alive and looking healthy in its natural habitat is a unique honor,”

Judah said.

Where does the goblin shark live? Remote Jarvis and Kingman Islands.

The two observations, reported in a study published in the Journal of Fish Biology, significantly extend both therange of the species both the data on depth where it lives. Previously, the goblin shark was known to inhabit only restricted areas off the coasts of the western United States, Australia, and Japan in the Pacific Ocean, and restricted regions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

In 2025, DARC colleagues mentioned a potential goblin shark sighting during a 2019 Ocean Exploration Trust expedition aboard the exploration vessel Nautilus that was studying deep-sea ecosystems near Kingman Reef, within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument:

“I was shocked to hear this because this species was not known to be found in the Central Pacific,”

Judah recalls. And if the first observation already radically changes what we knew about this deep-sea shark, the second gives us perhaps even more surprising information. The sighting in the Tonga Trench, which took place in 2024 aboard the research vessel Dagon as part of the Inkfish Open Ocean expedition led by scientists from the Deep-Sea Research Center of Minderoo – University of Western Australia (UWA), occurred at an unexpected depth. As Judah explains,

“The observation from the slope of the Tonga Trench is almost 700 meters deeper than where we thought this species lived.”

As the scholar notes, this observation extends the depth record for the entire order of lamniformes, which includes equally charismatic species such as the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), mako sharks (Isurus) and the porbeagle shark (lamna nasus).

Ecology and conservation: the importance of discovery

The two in situ observations of the goblin shark have not only aecological importance:

"It's really important to continue natural history work. New discoveries like this demonstrate that there's still so much to explore in the depths of our ocean. Given the recent geographic expansion of the goblin shark, this species can be included in regional management and the national biodiversity list, when we didn't even know it was there before!"

the researcher explained.

As he later underlined in an interview with Nautilus, the discovery is also important for the conservation of the species:

"We have increasingly deep-sea fishing, there's talk of deep-sea mining on the horizon, and there's climate change. The fact is, when we do biodiversity assessments, we need to know what animals are there. And for all this time, the goblin shark hasn't been part of the assessment for the Central or Western Pacific. This discovery puts the goblin shark 'on the table' for these areas, even in terms of conservation."

Now we know that the deep-sea pink shark lives there too. And who knows where the next sighting will occur.

Here are three insights that might interest you:

Historic expedition reveals Uruguay's ocean depths
The Secrets of the Greenland Shark's Longevity
Shark Meat Demand Doubles: IUCN Sounds Alarm