Scientists have captured the first-ever footage of live goblin sharks in their natural habitat. This incredible video reveals the ocean’s so-called “ugliest shark” thriving deep within the central Pacific Ocean during two historic encounters.
Researchers have documented the first live observations of goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni) in their natural habitat, capturing the rare deep-sea predators during two encounters in the central Pacific Ocean.
The groundbreaking discovery, detailed in a new paper published in the Journal of Fish Biology, was made by an oceanography team led by the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa on a seamount near Jarvis Island in 2019 and on the slope of the Tonga Trench in 2024.
According to the research team, these newly reported observations significantly extend both the known depth limits and the overall geographic range of the species.
3D rendered deep sea Goblin Shark
(3dsam79 / Getty Images)
“I was also very surprised about how deep this species was found. The observation from the slope of the Tonga Trench is nearly 700 meters deeper than this species was known to live,” said Aaron Judah, lead author of the paper and a doctoral candidate working in the Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab and Deep-Sea Animal Research Center (DARC) in the Department of Oceanography at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.
While past live encounters with this species were documented, those sharks were only filmed after being hooked by a fishing line or brought to the surface for observation where they soon died.
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Those circumstances make these new observations especially significant, marking the first time goblin sharks have been documented alive in their natural habitat.
These creatures are often considered the most iconic “living fossils” on the planet, serving as the sole surviving representatives of a family lineage nearly 125 million years old.
Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898
(Museums Victoria)
But they are also famously dubbed the ocean’s ugliest sharks—a reputation driven by their grotesque features, including a long nose that sticks out like a blade.
In 2025, Judah first learned about the potential breakthrough during a conversation with fellow DARC researchers.
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After reviewing the captured footage from 2019, he confirmed that the team did in fact document a goblin shark during the livestreamed dive on an unnamed seamount northwest of Jarvis Island.
Additionally, in 2024, a second observation was made during an expedition to the Tonga Trench when a deep-sea camera lured the predator with bait, capturing rare footage of the goblin shark thriving in its natural habitat.
“Seeing the most iconic of all the deep-sea sharks alive and looking healthy in its natural habitat is a unique honor,” Judah said.
These findings carry significant environmental weight. The newly-recorded geographical range officially adds the shark to regional marine management plans and national biodiversity records.
Judah emphasizes that these findings show how important it is to continue performing natural history work, adding that there is still so much left to explore within the vastness of the deep ocean.
