---
title: "Goblin Shark Facts, Habitat, Diet and Extending Jaws"
description: "Learn how the goblin shark uses its long sensory snout and rapidly extending jaws, where this deep-sea shark lives and what it eats."
canonical: "https://uglyanimals.net/animals/goblin-shark/"
locale: "en"
content_type: "animal_profile"
primary_entity: "Goblin shark"
scientific_name: "Mitsukurina owstoni"
---

# Goblin shark: facts, habitat and how its slingshot jaws work

The goblin shark is a deep-water shark with a long flattened snout and jaws that can project far beyond the head. Its pale skin and loose appearance reflect anatomy rarely seen alive in natural light.

## Quick facts

- **Scientific name:** Mitsukurina owstoni
- **Animal type:** Deep-water shark
- **Family:** Mitsukurinidae
- **Range:** Scattered records from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans
- **Habitat:** Outer continental shelves, slopes and deep ocean
- **Diet:** Fish, squid and crustaceans recorded from specimens
- **IUCN status:** Least Concern

## What is a goblin shark?

The goblin shark is the only living species in its family. It belongs to the lamniform sharks, the same broader order that includes makos and the great white, but its lineage and body plan are distinctive.

Most knowledge comes from animals caught by deep-water fisheries or found as specimens. That matters because colour, posture and soft tissue can change after capture. Live observations in the deep sea remain exceptionally rare.

## Why does the goblin shark have a long nose and extending jaws?

The flattened projection in front of the eyes is called a rostrum. It contains electroreceptors that can detect weak electrical fields produced by other animals, helping the shark investigate prey when light is limited.

The jaws are attached in a way that allows them to shoot forward. When the shark strikes, the mouth moves rapidly toward prey and then retracts. The resulting open-jaw photographs look extreme because they capture a feeding movement rather than the shark's resting face.

## Where do goblin sharks live?

Goblin sharks have been recorded in widely separated parts of the world's oceans, including waters near Japan, Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa, Europe and the Americas. Records are sparse, so mapped points do not necessarily show the full distribution.

They are associated with deep water along continental margins and oceanic slopes. Juveniles have sometimes been recorded shallower than large adults. Recent deep-sea observations continue to extend the known range and depth of the species.

## What do goblin sharks eat, and are they dangerous?

Stomach records indicate a diet that includes fish, squid and crustaceans. A soft body, sensory rostrum and projecting jaws fit a predator that does not rely on long, high-speed pursuits.

Goblin sharks live far from ordinary swimmers and divers. They are not regarded as a practical danger to people. Their teeth and jaws are feeding tools for deep-water prey.

## Conservation status: Least Concern

The goblin shark is caught occasionally in deep-water fisheries, but it is not currently assessed as globally threatened. Its apparent rarity should not be confused with a measured population decline because deep habitats remain poorly sampled.

## Related animals

- [Deep-sea anglerfish](https://uglyanimals.net/animals/anglerfish/)
- [Blobfish](https://uglyanimals.net/animals/blobfish/)
- [Star-nosed mole](https://uglyanimals.net/animals/star-nosed-mole/)

[See more fish](https://uglyanimals.net/animals/fish/)

## Related habitats and adaptations

- **Habitat:** [Deep sea and seabed](https://uglyanimals.net/habitats/deep-sea/)
- **Adaptation:** [Feeding tools](https://uglyanimals.net/adaptations/feeding-tools/)
- **Adaptation:** [Senses and signals](https://uglyanimals.net/adaptations/senses-signals/)

## Sources

- [Australian Museum: Goblin Shark, Mitsukurina owstoni](https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/goblin-shark-mitsukurina-owstoni/): Identification, records, morphology and diet.
- [Florida Museum: Goblin Shark](https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/goblin-shark/): Biology, habitat, distribution and conservation status.
- [Australian Government Fish: Goblin Shark 2023 Report Card](https://www.fish.gov.au/docs/SharkReport/2023_FRDC_Mitsukurina_owstoni_final.pdf): Current Australian and global assessment context.