Researchers have captured the first live footage of goblin sharks in their natural deep-ocean habitat. The observations, made in the Central Pacific, expand the known range and depth of the rare species.
Scientists from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa led the study, which documented two healthy goblin sharks without removing them from the water. One appeared near a seamount northwest of Jarvis Island in 2019 footage from an Ocean Exploration Trust expedition. The second was recorded in 2024 along the slope of the Tonga Trench during an Inkfish Open Ocean Expedition.
The Tonga Trench sighting set a new depth record for the species, nearly 700 meters deeper than previously known. It also marks the first confirmed record for the entire order of mackerel sharks in that location.
"Seeing the most iconic of all the deep-sea sharks alive and looking healthy in its natural habitat is a unique honor," said lead author Aaron Judah. Co-author Alan Jamieson called the paired discoveries "incredible."
The findings, published in the Journal of Fish Biology, show the species now known from the Central Pacific as well as earlier limited sites off the western United States, Australia, and Japan.