For the first time, scientists have filmed live goblin sharks swimming freely in their natural deep-sea habitat, giving researchers a glimpse of one of the world’s rarest and most mysterious sharks without removing it from the ocean. The discovery extends the known depth range of the species to approximately 700 m and extends its recognized range into the Pacific Ocean.The findings were published in Fish Biology Journal And They were led by a research team from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The study described two separate encounters with healthy goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni), which marks the first confirmed observations of the species living in its natural environment.Until now, every verified sighting or video of a live goblin shark had come only when the animal was accidentally entangled in fishing gear and brought to the surface. Although scientists and divers were able to observe the sharks for some time, the animals usually died soon afterward.The latest observations have completely changed that picture by documenting goblin sharks behaving naturally in the deep sea.
Two encounters at a distance of hundreds of kilometers
One goblin shark was spotted near a seamount close to Jarvis Island in the central Pacific, while another was recorded near the slopes of the Tonga Trench.These are often called “living fossils”. These goblin sharks are the only surviving members of a shark family that is approximately 125 million years old. Their distinctive long, flat snout and protruding jaws have made them one of the most recognizable deep-sea sharks, yet they remain elusive due to their extreme depth.The two sightings also suggest that goblin sharks occupy a much larger area of the Pacific Ocean than scientists previously thought.
Rare goblin shark filmed alive in the deep sea for the first time
Record-breaking depth surprises researchers
The Tonga Trench encounter proved significant as it set a new depth record for the species.“It is an unparalleled honor to see one of the most iconic sharks in the deep sea, alive and healthy in their natural habitat,” said Aaron Judah, the paper’s lead author and a doctoral candidate who works in the Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab and the Deep-Sea Animal Research Center (DARC) in the Department of Oceanography in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.He added: “I was also very surprised by the depth at which this species was found. Observations from the slopes of the Tonga Trench are approximately 700 meters deeper than this species is known to have lived.”Judah said this discovery goes beyond just goblin sharks.The Tonga Trench observation also establishes a new depth record for the entire order of Lamniformes, commonly known as mackerel sharks. This group includes famous species such as the great white shark, basking shark and mako shark.
hidden in plain sight
One of the study’s most surprising discoveries actually came from footage that had been sitting in an archive for years.First seen after Judah speaks with colleagues at DARC in 2025. He noted that a possible goblin shark had appeared in video recorded during a 2019 Ocean Exploration Trust expedition aboard the exploration vessel. E/V Nautilus. The expedition explored the deep-sea ecosystems around Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Jarvis Island within the Pacific Remote Archipelago Marine National Monument.“I was shocked to hear this because this species was not known to occur in the central Pacific,” Judah said.Remotely operated vehicle was used in the campaign super strong man Exploring the ocean floor while recording extensive video footage. Researchers at the University of Hawaii later archived and annotated the recordings for public access.After carefully reviewing the footage, Judah confirmed that one of the videos, captured during a livestream dive on an unnamed seamount northwest of Jarvis Island, had indeed recorded a goblin shark swimming in its natural habitat.This discovery means that the first confirmed wild observation was actually waiting in archive footage for many years before being identified.
A second shark confirms the discovery
During a separate expedition five years later, researchers found even stronger evidence.The second goblin shark was filmed during a 2024 expedition to the Tonga Trench aboard the research vessel R/V Dagon. The voyage was part of the Inkfish Open Ocean expedition led by scientists from the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre.Instead of using a remotely operated vehicle, the researchers deployed a baited camera attached to a lower lander resting on the ocean floor. The camera captured clear footage of another goblin shark swimming freely in the deep sea.Alan Jamieson, Professor and Founding Director of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Center and study co-author, said, “The goblin shark is one of these charismatic deep-sea animals that I never thought we’d see alive, and then to do that was amazing, but then to learn that colleagues in Hawaii also saw one was incredible.”Making two independent observations from different locations led researchers to believe that the known distribution of the species needed to be revised.
Goblin Shark Map Detail
Prior to these discoveries, goblin sharks had only been recorded from relatively limited parts of the Pacific Ocean, primarily Japan, Australia, and the western United States. They were also known from scattered locations in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.Two new sightings from the Central Pacific expand the shark’s recognized range and suggest the species may be more widespread than previously thought.This may affect future conservation planning.Judah said recognizing the shark’s presence in areas where it was previously unknown allows it to be included in local biodiversity records and management plans.“It’s really important that we still work on natural history,” Judah said.He added: “New discoveries like this show that there is still much to discover in our deep sea home. Given the newly-expanded geographic range of the goblin shark, this species can be included in regional management and country biodiversity inventories, whereas, previously we didn’t know it was even there!”
It’s a reminder of how little is known about the deep sea
The study also shows the importance of revisiting archived scientific data.Take another look at videos collected during 2019 without researchers E/V Nautilus On the expedition, the first wild goblin shark sighting may not have gone unnoticed. Combined with 2024 Tonga Trench footage, the evidence provides the clearest picture yet of a species that has remained elusive despite having existed for nearly 125 million years.