Marine Biologists Film 2 Live Goblin Sharks, Pushing Range and Depth Limits in Pacific
Updated
Updated · Popular Science · Jun 12
Marine Biologists Film 2 Live Goblin Sharks, Pushing Range and Depth Limits in Pacific
3 articles · Updated · Popular Science · Jun 12
Summary
Two Goblin sharks were filmed alive in their natural Pacific habitat during separate 2024 and 2025 expeditions, a rare feat for a species usually known only from accidental catches.
Jarvis Island and the Tonga Trench sightings reshaped what scientists thought they knew: one extended the shark’s known range into the Central Pacific, while the other was recorded nearly 2,300 feet deeper than expected.
The footage accompanies a Journal of Fish Biology study and captured healthy animals in situ, unlike most encounters with the roughly 13-foot sharks, which typically die quickly after reaching the surface.
Goblin sharks were first identified in 1898 and are the only surviving members of a lineage dating back about 125 million years, making live observations especially valuable for deep-sea research.