Rare Goblin Sharks Filmed in Natural Deep-Sea Habitat for First Time

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa-led research team has published the first confirmed, peer-reviewed in-situ observations of the goblin shark alive in its natural habitat, ending more than a century of the species being seen only when accidentally caught by fishermen and brought to the surface. The study documents two sightings: a 2019 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) recording from the E/V Nautilus on an unnamed seamount northwest of Jarvis Island at approximately 1,237 meters depth, and a 2024 baited-camera recording aboard the R/V Dagon on the slope of the Tonga Trench at 1,997 meters depth — nearly 700 meters deeper than the species had previously been documented. The 2024 observation, captured after more than 50 days of continuous deep-sea recording, also extends the depth record for the entire order Lamniformes — the mackerel sharks, which includes great white, mako, and basking sharks — by 108 meters. Both sightings were made in the central Pacific, a region where the species was previously unknown, substantially expanding its recognized geographic range beyond narrow coastal zones near Japan, Australia, the western United States, and parts of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Deep-sea footage and stills from both expeditions show the shark's characteristic elongated rostrum, pale pinkish coloration, and protrusible jaws near rocky seafloors. Researchers emphasize that the expanded range now allows the goblin shark to be formally included in regional biodiversity lists and wildlife management frameworks, and that the findings underscore how much of the deep ocean remains unexplored.