Scientists capture first footage of goblin shark in deep-sea habitat

The breakthrough stems from two separate expeditions that spanned years of analysis. The first encounter occurred in 2019 near Jarvis Island at a depth of 1,237 metres, captured by the remotely operated vehicle Hercules. Researchers only identified the significance of this recording recently after Aaron Judah of the University of Hawaii revisited the archival footage. A second, more extreme observation followed in 2024 within the Tonga Trench, where a remote baited camera system documented the shark at a depth nearly 700 metres greater than previously recorded for the species.

These findings establish a new depth record for any lamniform shark, a group that includes mako and great white sharks. Professor Alan Jamieson of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre noted that prior to these missions, the species was effectively invisible to science in its living state. With its distinctive protruding snout and needle-like teeth, the goblin shark remains the sole surviving member of a lineage dating back 125 million years. This visual data confirms the predator’s presence across a vast stretch of the Central Pacific, providing a rare glimpse into the life of one of the ocean's most mysterious residents.