Fear would strike into the heart of anyone who had the misfortune of coming face-to-face with a shark. However, the goblin shark (scientific name: Mistukurina owstoni) produces two distinctly different reactions. One reaction is a combination of horror and revulsion. The goblin shark, besides its huge size, has a jaw that shoots out to catch and crush a prey. An unsuspecting prey, which has never encountered this shark’s deadly form of attack before, will be surprised by the retractable jaws. The surprise will be short-lived, too late, and fatal.
On the other hand, the discovery of the existence of the goblin shark created a ripple of excitement in the world of zoology. Here is an animal that looked similar to prehistoric creatures but was discovered only in the late nineteenth century. The strange appearance of the shark’s extra long snout is reminiscent of the horns of a triceratop, an extinct dinosaur. The shark’s bone structure is similar to the 100-million-year-old fossils of shark species known as the Scapanorhynchus. Could it be the same species? What are the implications of the existence of the goblin shark on the theory of evolution? How does the goblin shark interact with other aquatic organisms? How does it affect the environment?
The zoologists who are eager to know more about the goblin sharks would dismiss fears of goblin shark attacks against humans. After all, goblin sharks are bottom dwelling fishes. These sharks prefer to stay near the ocean floor than swim just beneath the surface of the water. The goblin shark also seemed to move sluggishly, often staying motionless in water while waiting for a prey to come nearby. Thus, the chances of having the human environment invaded by goblin sharks are very small.
For zoologists, however, safe encounters with goblin sharks might be useful. So far, the goblin shark has been classified as belonging to the order of Lamniformes, which are sharks with two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and eyes that have no protective translucent eyelids. The length of the mouths of lamniformes, such as the great white shark, also extends beyond the eyes. The goblin shark, however, is the only species in its family, the Mitsukurinidae.
Scientists also discovered that the elongated snout of the goblin shark is lined with electrical sensors (called ampullae of Lorenzini) that allows the shark to find its food. Unfortunately, it was difficult to determine the type of food that goblin sharks prefer because the few goblin sharks that have been caught had emptied their stomachs while struggling against nets. But the three rows of narrow slender teeth of the shark made the scientists hypothesized that these sharks would eat smaller fishes, squids, crabs, and shrimp.
Scientists also theorized that the goblin shark has played the role of deep sea predator for millions of years. As a predator, it keeps the balance of the deep-sea ecosystem. To illustrate, the food that becomes available to tiny deep-sea creatures, like zooplanktons, is called detritus. Detritus or food that fall down to the ocean bottom is consumed by seafloor-dwelling tiny creatures. These creatures, in turn, are eaten by bigger marine organisms, like fishes and crabs. If the number of such marine organisms increase rapidly, the population of the smaller seafloor-dwelling creatures will be wiped out, leaving the detritus unconsumed and the cycle of energy in the ecosystem encounters a trap. Predators, such as the goblin sharks, ensure that the number of bigger marine organisms is held in check. Goblin sharks act as regulators of the food web of the environment.
