Mitsukurinidae - goblin sharks

There is one species in this family of rarely seen sharks. The goblin shark is found in the western Pacific Ocean, the western Indian Ocean, and the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean. In the United States, it has been spotted of the coast of California and in the Gulf Coast. The goblin shark is an unusual looking shark! It has a soft, flabby, pinkish-gray body; a very long, pointed, beak-like snout; and jaws that stick out of its mouth when it eats! It has large, sharp pointed teeth; five pairs of gill slits; two rounded dorsal fins; a rounded anal fin; and small eyes with no nictitating eyelids. It is rarely seen and swims very slowly on the ocean floor at depths of up to 4,000 feet. It eats bony fish, sharks, rays, crustaceans, and squid.

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

New Hampshire Species		North/Central American Species
None		Goblin Shark - Mitsukurina owstoni

Other Species Around the World
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North America South America NH Species Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean Mediterranean/Black Sea Pacific Ocean
Goblin Shark - Mitsukurina owstoni