today’s shark is the goblin shark. i had a hard time coming up with one because honestly, there are SO MANY different types of sharks how can you pick just a handful of favorites, ya know? so i picked one that is completely WEIRD yet still awesomely sharky. and with that long, pointed snout and protruding jaws, the goblin shark definitely fits the “weird shark” bill. still, they aren’t as ferociously odd looking as the basking shark. that one is beyond creepy, yet so docile.
known as mitsukurina owstoni, vital stats are:
- can grow up to 11 feet long, and weigh over 300 lbs.
- goblin shark eats fish (both large and small), including other sharks and rays. they also eat squid and crustaceans (like crabs)
- as with other sharks, the teeth are located in rows which rotate into use as needed.
- the goblin shark has soft, pale, pink-gray skin (paler on the belly), low, rounded fins and a long, asymmetrical tail fin. Its jaws can project open quickly in order to catch prey.
- the pink coloration, unique among sharks, is due to blood vessels underneath a semi-transparent skin (which bruises easily), thereby causing the coloring. the fins have a bluish appearance.
- goblin sharks lack a nictitating membrane
- very little is actually known about this slow-swimming shark, it is rarely encountered.
honorary mention for sunday: oceanic whitetip!
and thus concludes shark week, i was going to do one more for monday, but might as well wrap it up on sunday with the discovery channel. man, i wish there was more than one shark week a year, though.
