Frame from a YouTube video showing a goblin shark coaxed into biting the arm of a diver in a wetsuit. Ownership pending.
[via ectomo.com]
If you missed it, there has been some recent news about the incredible bite force of sharks, suggesting that the extinct Megatooth shark had chompers more powerful than a Tyrannosaurus rex. It is easy to see how the giant, cleaver teeth of this prehistoric fish could deliver such powerful chops.
But compare this Megatooth tooth to the more needle point teeth of the goblin shark featured in the video below. It shows a goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) coaxedprovoked into biting the wetsuited arm of a scuba diver. I have not heard about this footage before, and I do not understand the (presumably) Japanese dialog. If anyone can translate or offer additional details, I would be obliged. I am especially curious to know what depth the divers were at.
In addition to the teeth, the protrusible jaws of the goblin shark are also remarkable. I’ve seen pictures of dead goblins that show the palatoquadrate sticking out, but seeing them in action is jaw-inspiring. Around the gills you can also see the flaccid skin that is typical of deep water animals like the goblin shark.
- YouTube: Goblin shark biting
- Previously: Rare goblin shark caught; More Goblin Shark Video; New video of rare goblin shark
If you are interested in learning more about the biting power of sharks and other fish, check out the Web site of Dr. Motta’s lab at the University of South Florida. He and his students study the jaw kinesthetics of elasmobranchs, in collaboration with the researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory (where I work).
great…
one more nightmare creature to have in the back of my mind during my black water dive…
thanks jason!
Wow! Knowing what will happen and seeing it happen are entirely different things. What an amazing animal.
Frighteningly fascinating. Nice find. I’ll send to a friend who may be able to translate …
The commentary is just anthropmorphosizing sensationalist crap.
No facts that not already visible.
Here’s the gist.
The shark pretended to go away, and then shot it mouth out.
It’s a devil fish. Then, when it realized that there was noting to eat it swam away as if nothing had happened.
Missed the one fact
“This shark that we spent months looking for”
Sweet! When I read this I didn’t think there was another animal that had big, strong teeth as the Tyrannosaurus Rex! I was surprised. I would like know more about this amazing creature and see where you might find one and how they live. Do you they get along with any other animals or they think of any animal or human as there prey? If this Goblin Shark bit a scuba diver had bad was the bit? Was it treatable? Other then that I thought this was extremely interesting. I found this website that explained what a Goblin Shark look like and it’s features. I thought it was a little helpful for me. Check it out if you want.
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/shark_profiles/m_owstoni.htm
This is very interesting, I never knew that a shark this size could have a more powerful bite than a Tyrannosaurus rex. This made me very anxious to see if there are any other sharks as powerful as this one in the seas. What do the Goblin Sharks eat? Also, I thought that the body of the Goblin Shark was very well desingned, their heads are formed perfectly so they can bump into prey, and the sharp teeth can then penetrate the victim. I would like to know more about this shark because I am interested in marine biology. I found out the habitat of these sharks is found along the outer continental shelves, upper slopes, and off seamounts…
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/goblinshark/goblinshark.html
This is amazing did the teeth from the shark cut through the wet suit because they look extremely sharp. The Goblin Shark is interesting, I would not want to be bit by one of them!
Nice post very informative!
This is very interesting. I didn’t know that goblin sharks were not extinct. I also thought that if they were alive that they would be in extremely deep water.
Here is some footage of a goblin shark alive in an aquarium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnOikVwoT88
Excellent post!
This is very interesting. I didn’t know that goblin sharks were not extinct. I also thought that if they were alive that they would be in extremely deep water.
Here is some footage of a goblin shark alive in an aquarium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnOikVwoT88
This is was a very interesting article. I didn’t know that the Goblin Shark could have such a powerful bite as the Tyrannosaurus Rex! I was shocked when I read that. When I saw the video of the shark it looked like it knew what it was doing and the point of the head could hurt it’s prey. I thought that it was very cool and kinda scary. My question is what does this animal eat? I found some fascinating things about this creature at this website : http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/shark_profiles/m_owstoni.htm
This website describes what the Goblin Shark looks, it’s size, and habit ..etc.
This is really fascinating. How did the divers provoke the goblin shark to bite it? Is there extra skin or muscle that allows the shark to extend its jaw that far? How many teeth does the shark have? Why do they think that the goblin shark could possibly have chompers that are stronger than the Tyrannosaurus rex? Where did the experiment take place?
Hi, my moms actually from Japan and she translated this for me. She said that it doesn’t say anything about the death. She said that that they didn’t no much about the habitat of the shark, and it bit his arm, but he didn’t feel any pain even though it went through his diving suit, and then the shark left just like nothing ever happened.
the depth* not death
I have never even heard of the goblin shark. I did some research and on
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/shark_profiles/m_owstoni.htm, I read that the longest Goblin shark ever found was a 12.6 foot male. However the females can grow longer. They are not all this length though, on average they grow up to 5 feet long. Most of them live in Japan, but there are some in New Zealand, and southern Africa.
This is extremely interesting. According to the video clip, the goblin shark sensed the arm there and seemed to extend out its jaws to capture the prey. I have seen this in other sharks such as the great white, but I have not witnessed a shark extend out as far as that. This trait allows the shark to be more effective in capturing its prey. I am still not sure what that action is called but I promise, if anyone else would like to know more about it, come back with more information on it.
This is interesting! Are the teeth strong enough to make someone or something bleed? In the video, the man did not get harmed. Is it possible the the extinct Megatooth is related to dinosaurs in anyway?
Any shark can be provoked into biting, even a nurse shark, but it looks like the diver had extra protection where this shark chomped down. Goblin sharks normally feed on deep sea squid, crabs and fishes. Sharks with sharp, needle-like teeth usually are designed to grasp fast swimming prey.
Sharks are from a lineage that is far older than the dinosaurs, having been on the planet for around 400 million years. But the megatooth is certainly as extinct as the dinosaurs, disappearing into the fossil record about 2 million years ago.