Goblin shark with face ‘not even a mother would love’ seen alive in natural habitat for first time

The rare goblin shark was captured on video by researchers during an expedition to the Tonga Trench in the Pacific Ocean. Photograph: Mindaroo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre

Rare and eccentric-looking goblin sharks have been seen alive in their deep ocean habitat for the first time ever.

Prof Alan Jamieson, director of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, said goblin sharks were a bit like the colossal squid – creatures with an almost mythological quality. They were almost never seen alive, he said, and previously only when they were accidentally hooked on a fishing line.