Marine biologists at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa captured the first videos of goblin sharks in their native habitats. The clips—published in the Journal of Fish Biology—show two animals swimming in the Pacific Ocean, including one near Jarvis Island and
For decades, the goblin shark has lived mostly out of sight—more idea than encounter. Even when it’s caught, it rarely survives the trip to the surface. Now, two new videos have finally put eyes on the animal where it actually belongs: in the deep Pacific, moving as if it never had to hide.
The goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is one of Earth’s rarest and most elusive sharks. It’s also among the strangest, with a distinctive, hornlike snout and protrudable jaws. The species is described as a pink-skinned “living fossil. ” the only surviving representative of a family lineage that dates back nearly 125 million years.
It was first identified in 1898, but sightings remain few and far between. The fish typically remain at a depth of around 3,000 feet, and any encounters with humans have been linked to accidental fishing line snags. When the shark reaches the surface, it dies quickly.
That context is why the new footage lands differently. Marine biologists at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa recently captured videos revealing not one. but two goblin sharks swimming in their native habitats. The clips accompany a study published in the Journal of Fish Biology and show the surreal look of the species as it travels through open water.
One goblin shark was spotted near Jarvis Island—halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands. The other was filmed on the slope of the Tonga Trench southeast of Fiji.
“Seeing the most iconic of all the deep-sea sharks alive and looking healthy in its natural habitat is a unique honor,” said University of Hawaii at Mānoa oceanographer and study co-author Aaron Judah.
The two recordings came from separate expeditions in 2024 and 2025. Taken together, they do more than document a rare animal—they also sharpen what researchers know about its range and depth.
The Jarvis Island sighting extends the goblin shark’s known habitat to the Central Pacific Ocean. The Tonga Trench video, meanwhile, was captured on the slope nearly 2,300 feet deeper than expected.
Alan Jamieson. a study co-author and founder of the Minderoo-University of Western Australia Deep-Sea Research Center. spotted the Tonga Trench shark. He said: “The goblin shark is one of these deep-sea charismatic animals that I never thought we’d see alive. To do so was amazing, but to then learn that colleagues in Hawaii also saw one was just incredible.”.
Taken at face value. the footage changes the story from “possible only in accidents” to “real presence in the deep”—and it does so with a detail that matters to deep-sea scientists. These aren’t close encounters forced by fishing lines or the shock of reaching the surface. It’s the goblin shark swimming where it lives, filmed while it still looks healthy.
goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni deep sea sharks University of Hawaii at Mānoa Journal of Fish Biology Jarvis Island Tonga Trench
Goblin sharks sound like something from a video game lol.
Wait so they filmed them and they’re “healthy” but also it says they die quickly when they get to the surface? So does that mean these were never brought up? I’m confused but honestly cool.
Jarvis Island?? Like the NASA one? Anyway I heard these are basically just deep-sea monsters that got caught in fishing nets and then die, so how are there two alive unless humans changed the ocean or something.
The snout/jaws thing is nightmare fuel. But also “living fossil” makes me think they found a dinosaur shark or whatever. If it’s one of the rarest, why aren’t they making a whole park for them or at least leaving them alone? People probably won’t even watch the video, they’ll just freak out at the headline.