May 2, 2014 — Shrimp fishermen working in the Gulf of Mexico hauled up a lot more than they bargained for last month when they netted a rare goblin shark.
Goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni) – with their fleshy pink skin, nail-like teeth that protrude from monstrous jaws and oddly long, flat snout – look like the quintessential horrors of the deep.
They are thought to belong to a linage of sharks that's 125 million years old, sometimes earning them the moniker of "living fossils."
These poorly understood deep-sea creatures are typically found off the coast of Japan, according to Louisiana ABC News affiliate WGNO.
NOAA Fisheries Service said that the 18-foot-long goblin shark was caught accidentally near the Florida Keys. It was let go.
Read the full story at Nature World News