Off the coast of Taiwan, a colossal goblin shark weighing 1,760 pounds (800 kilograms), carrying six sizeable offspring, has been captured. This remarkable find represents the largest known goblin shark caught in Taiwanese waters, as described by the Taiwan Ocean Artistic Museum in a translated Facebook post showcasing the shark's distinctively unattractive visage.
Pregnant Goblin Shark Trawled in Taiwan
Goblin sharks are incredibly rare and have limited interactions with humans. Despite a few attempts to keep them in aquariums, none have survived for more than a few days.
As per Newsweek, the waters off Japan and Taiwan in the Northwest Pacific are considered hotspots for this deep-sea shark. After a powerful earthquake off northern Taiwan in 2003, over 100 goblin sharks were caught at depths of approximately 2,000 feet.
The Taiwan Ocean Artistic Museum shared another post featuring the six pups retrieved from the pregnant mother shark. Each juvenile measured about 4 feet in length and weighed around 8 pounds. The museum noted that each baby shark had a nutrient capsule in its belly, indicating growth facilitated by the nutrient sac.
Reproduction among goblin sharks remains largely unknown, but it is known that females give birth to live young, rather than laying eggs. The museum indicated that the well-formed teeth of the baby sharks suggested that the mother shark was close to her due date.
The goblin shark and her offspring were unintentionally caught through bottom trawling, a fishing method that involves dragging a net along the seafloor. While this practice is prohibited in many regions due to its negative impact on seafloor ecosystems and high bycatch rates, it remains legal in the waters of Taiwan.
The fishermen initially intended to sell the sharks to a restaurant for consumption. However, after a successful effort, the Taiwan Ocean Artistic Museum acquired the specimens for display and educational purposes, safeguarding them from being consumed. The museum expressed its plans to exhibit the shark and its pups as part of its future marine education initiatives.
Goblin Sharks Explained
Goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni) are renowned for their peculiar characteristics within the shark world. According to Live Science, these bottom-dwelling creatures possess elongated snouts and inhabit depths of up to 3,940 feet (1,200 meters) near the seafloor.
Equipped with needle-like teeth, their jaws extend outward to snatch prey, such as bony fish, squid, and crustaceans, before retracting beneath their eyes, as described by the Australian Museum.
Belonging to the Mitsukurinidae family, goblin sharks are the sole surviving members of a shark lineage that originated approximately 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, which is about 145 million to 66 million years ago.
While their typical coloration tends to be grayish, goblin sharks hauled from the deep sea may appear pinkish-purple if their blood vessels have been damaged by fishing equipment.
Described as having translucent skin, a pink body, and fearsome fangs, goblin sharks are considered a rare "living fossil" that belongs to an ancient shark family, according to the museum staff's Facebook post.
Goblin sharks have remained elusive and have rarely been observed or captured on film in their natural habitat. Most of the knowledge scientists have gathered about these mysterious creatures come from accidental encounters with captured specimens. Currently, the species is not classified as endangered due to human activities.
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