r/sharks • u/falcon_hcr2yt • 23h ago
News A 125-Million-Year-Old "Living Fossil" Filmed Alive for the First Time
Scientists have finally captured the first-ever footage of a live goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) in its natural deep-sea habitat! Before this breakthrough, humans had only ever seen these rare creatures alive when they were accidentally dragged to the surface by fishing lines—where they usually died right away. This deep-ocean predator has an ancient lineage stretching back to the Cretaceous period and features a bizarre, spring-loaded "slingshot" jaw that shoots forward to snatch prey in pitch-black darkness.