Brownie shark (goblin shark): a description of where it lives, what it eats

Mitsukurina owstoni – scapanorhynchus, goblin shark or goblin shark. Represents the genus Scapanorhynchus and is the only species that has survived to this day. The shark is deep-sea and also known as mitzenurina.

Brownie shark: description

Because of its bizarre appearance, the shark got such an unusual name. A wedge-shaped growth can be seen at the end of its muzzle. The jaws are quite long and can be extended far. The shark also has a unique color, closer to a pink hue. This color of the shark is associated with a huge number of blood vessels that are visible through the skin. The presence of such a huge number of blood vessels close to the surface of the body indicates that this predator can breathe through the skin. And this is not at all surprising, since at such a considerable depth the concentration of oxygen is very small.

Interesting to know! It is currently known that individual individuals can grow to a length of almost 4 meters and gain weight over two hundred kilograms, although such data is completely unverified and has not been confirmed in any way.

Appearance

Adult male brownie sharks reach sizes up to 3,7 meters in length, while females are slightly smaller and can grow up to 3 and a half meters. This representative of the Scapanorhynchus has a spindle-shaped body with rounded fins. The ventral and anal fins are well developed and are larger than the dorsal fin. The upper lobe of the caudal fin has a shape that resembles the tail of a fox shark.

The fins are distinguished by a bluish tint, while the caudal fin has practically no lower lobe. House sharks that inhabit the Pacific Ocean, according to scientists, are more impressive in size than the species that inhabit the rest of the world’s oceans.

The brownie shark is characterized by the fact that it lacks a third eyelid, the caudal peduncle consists only of a well-developed upper keel, and the absence of a characteristic notch on the caudal fin. The front teeth are characterized as long and very sharp, but with smooth edges. The rear teeth are designed to gnaw prey and crush shells. Due to the fact that the shark has a non-standard appearance, this predator is called the goblin shark.

In the lower part of the snout, on the upper jaw, there are not large nostrils, as well as a light, blurred stripe. The eyes also do not differ in impressive size, while they are able to glow in the dark with a greenish glow. A similar phenomenon is inherent in many species of fish that live at considerable depths, in complete darkness. The abdominal area is lighter and has a light pink tint. The back is characterized by the presence of barely noticeable dark brown shades.

Interesting fact! Pink shades in the color of the shark are characteristic of living individuals, and after death, the predator acquires a classic brown hue.

The liver of this shark is quite large and makes up almost 25 percent of the total mass of the fish. It is worth noting that the liver of the goblin shark also performs the role of a swim bladder, and not only its classical functions. In addition, all the necessary nutritional components are stored in the shark liver.

Thanks to such unique properties of the liver, the shark is able to exist for a long time without food. Scientists agree that a shark may not eat for several weeks, or maybe months. It is noted that the accumulation of nutrients in the liver negatively affects its buoyancy characteristics.

Lifestyle, behavior

Due to the fact that the goblin shark prefers to live at considerable depths, this predator has been studied rather poorly. In Soviet times, when the meaning of the word “goblin” for many Soviet citizens, and even scientists, was not clear, Soviet specialists called the predator shark a brownie shark or a rhinoceros shark. Scientists have not scrupulously studied the structural features of the body of this fish, but at the same time they managed to conclude that this is the most common shark, but deep-sea. Evidence of such an affiliation of the species was the structure of the cartilaginous skeleton, which completely ruled out the belonging of the species to slopes.

Interesting fact! Goblin sharks do not belong to some of the fossil representatives of this species, although they have an external resemblance and way of life with some types of ancient representatives of predators, the existence of which is known to modern scientists.

The warming of the world’s oceans, especially in recent times, has led to noticeable changes in the structure of the global aquatic system, which has left its mark on the existence of the Scapanorhynchaceae family. Deep-sea sharks have seen a marked change in their behavior as they have been spotted in shallower waters. It is believed that the goblin shark is a category of typical loners who are not prone to forming flocks, regardless of habitat conditions.

How long does a scapanorhynchus live

It is not yet known how long goblin sharks can live, due to the lack of knowledge of this representative of the underwater world. It remains only to assume, therefore, it is believed that the lifespan of this species is comparable to the lifespan of other species of sharks, about which scientists know much more.

Range, habitats

In 1897, a goblin shark was first caught off the coast of Japan. This species of sharks prefers to be at depths of at least 250 meters, while the predator can easily be found both in temperate and warm waters of the oceans. To date, it is known that this predator was caught at maximum depths of about 1300 meters. It is possible that the fish lives much deeper.

A significant number of goblin sharks have been caught off the Japanese coast. At the same time, it is known that many individuals were also found off the coast of Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa, Portugal, in the Gulf of Mexico, etc.

Interesting fact! To date, only 45 deep-sea sharks have been caught or washed ashore. This indicates that the shark is a rather rare species for science.

Despite such a small number of individuals that scientists were able to examine, it was possible to conclude that all the conditions of the world’s oceans are suitable for the life of the goblin shark, with the exception of the Arctic Ocean. In other words, the goblin shark lives exclusively in warm or temperate climates.

Goblin Shark Diet

It is believed that the goblin shark preys on its potential victims by extending its well-developed jaws, after which it is drawn inside the victim’s mouth along with a certain amount of water. Hunting is carried out due to a special outgrowth, on which a large number of receptors are concentrated, capable of capturing electromagnetic impulses. This allows the shark to hunt in conditions of absolute darkness, which prevails at great depths.

As far as is known, scientists have not been able to determine the basis of the shark’s diet, as they have always dealt with an empty stomach of a predator. The contents of the stomachs of those specimens that were caught or that washed ashore were not preserved. All this happened as a result of pressure drops when the fish rose from the depth closer to the surface. At least that’s what scientists think. Therefore, it is not possible today to determine exactly what the goblin shark eats.

Interesting to know! It is believed that the shark’s eyesight is rather weak, but the sense of smell is developed, which is very important for hunting in complete darkness.

Still, scientists learned something after they studied the structure of shark teeth. Experts suggest that the predator can feed on a fairly wide range of different food items. This can be zooplankton, as well as large fish species, including a whole range of invertebrates, including octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, etc. Due to the presence of front, but rather sharp teeth, the predator catches living organisms, and with the help of the back teeth, it crushes these food objects.

Reproduction and offspring

The strange thing is that all the individuals that were caught or washed ashore were not males. At the same time, it should be noted that scientists do not know anything about how this species reproduces, so it remains only to fantasize and speculate based on what is known. The brownie shark is no exception in this case, since scientists are not aware of many secretive representatives of the underwater world, who spend almost their entire lives at a considerable depth.

Many scientists come to the conclusion that the size of the females of these sharks must significantly exceed the size of the males. According to their assumptions, the average length of females is at least 5 meters, and males – no more than one and a half meters. According to the assumptions of experts who are closely involved in the study of this unique species, the goblin shark represents a category of ovoviviparous predatory species.

shark natural enemies

According to the same scientists, the goblin shark, being in the natural environment at a considerable depth, does not have any natural enemies that could significantly affect the population of these fish. Based on this, it makes no sense to say that the goblin shark has some kind of commercial value.

To date, it has become known that some foreign and domestic collectors are interested in acquiring the jaws of this unique creature, and prices do not matter. Despite the fact that today it has not been possible to fully study the species, scientists still listed the goblin shark in the Red Book as a rare and little-studied species.

Population and species status

As mentioned above, little is known about this species of sharks. It is also unknown how numerous this species is and whether it is endangered.

In this regard, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has identified several major and significant types of threats to which goblin sharks may be expected to be exposed. It is generally accepted that there are some negative factors that can affect the abundance of the species. To date, these factors are known. These are target catch and active pollution of water resources on a global scale, as well as the catch of individuals in the form of non-standard by-catch.

In conclusion

The goblin shark or goblin shark looks more like a deep-sea chimera than a predatory fish. Is it worth studying this species if it does not represent any commercial value? Probably still worth it, because a person still cannot understand how living beings can live at such a depth. The pressure at such depths is such that a person, for example, will simply turn out to be a cake, unsuitable for anything. At the same time, fish not only live, but also feed at such a depth and multiply. Unfortunately, the goblin shark is not the only species about which practically nothing is known to man in the third millennium. Oddly enough, but life is seething even in such conditions, where a person will never survive. Despite this, a person, as a result of his violent activity on the surface of the water, can have a negative impact even on those species that are almost impossible to get just like that. Man is distinguished by the fact that he has other unique capabilities – to litter the waters of the oceans, which leads to negative consequences. Often, even those representatives who do not live so deep are thrown ashore. But if a deep-sea shark jumped ashore, then you see a person got this creature at a depth.

The task of mankind is the preservation of all existing species for our descendants, as well as for life on Earth. So far, man has not yet fully realized the detrimental effect of his influence on the environment.