Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

ad
(Already a member? Click here.)


Table of Contents
Enchanted Learning
All About Sharks!

Geologic Time Chart
Introduction to Sharks Introduction to Rays Anatomy Shark and Ray Species Extreme Sharks Extinct Sharks Classification Shark Glossary Shark Index Printables, Worksheets, and Activities

ALL ABOUT SHARKS!
What is a Shark? Shark Information Sheets Shark Printouts to Color Evolution of Sharks Extreme Sharks

GOBLIN SHARK
Mitsukurina owstoni
Goblin Shark Printout


GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Goblin shark is a rarely-seen, slow-swimming shark. This shark's snout is quite unusual; it is long, flat, and very pointed. The jaws can protrude during eating, giving the goblin a very unusual look. This elongated snout may contain electrosensory canals (ampullae of Lorenzini) that help this shark find prey.

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.

Like other Lamniform sharks, the Goblin shark has an anal fin, 5 gill slits, 2 dorsal fins, no fin spines, mouth behind the eyes, and no nictitating eyelids.

Very little is known about this unusual shark.

SIZE
The Goblin shark grows to be about 11 feet (3.3 m) long.


DIET AND FEEDING HABITS
The Goblin shark eats fish (both large and small), including other sharks and rays. They also eat squid and crustaceans (like crabs).

TEETH
The Goblin shark has long, sharp teeth in the front of its mouth. The upper teeth are slightly longer than the lower teeth. These sharp teeth are used for catching fish.

The teeth in the back of the mouth are small and used for crushing prey, like crustaceans.

As with other sharks, the teeth are located in rows which rotate into use as needed. The first two rows are used in obtaining prey, the other rows rotate into place as they are needed. As teeth are lost, broken, or worn down, they are replaced by new teeth that rotate into place.

SENSES
Shark's primarily use their sense of smell followed by their sensing of electric charges. The shark's other senses, like sensing changes in water pressure, eyesight, and hearing, are less important.

Sharks also have an acute sense of smell. (Shark nostrils are only used for smell and not for breathing, like our nostrils. They breathe using gills, not nostrils.)

The sensing of minute electrical discharges in the water is accomplished by a series of jelly-filled canals in the head called the ampullae of Lorenzini. This allows the shark to sense the tiny electrical fields generated by all animals, for example, from muscle contractions. It may also serve to detect magnetic fields which some sharks may use in navigation.

HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION
The Goblin shark is a bottom-dweller found in depths of about 3,940 feet (1,200 m) in the western Pacific, the western Indian Ocean and the western and eastern Atlantic.

GOBLIN SHARK ATTACKS
The Goblin shark is probably harmless, but has rarely been encountered.

MIGRATION
Unknown

REPRODUCTION
Unknown

SOCIAL GROUPS
Unknown

LIFE SPAN
No one knows the life span of the Goblin shark.

POPULATION COUNT
Unknown

GOBLIN SHARK CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom Animalia (animals)
Phylum Chordata
SubPhylum Vertebrata (vertebrates)
Class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
Subclass Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
Order Lamniformes
Family Mitsukurina
Genus Mitsukurina
Species owstoni




Information Sheets About Sharks (and Rays)

Just click on an animal's name to go to that information sheet. If the shark (or ray) you're interested in isn't here, check the Shark Dictionary.

ANGELSHARK

BASKING SHARK

BLACKTIP REEF SHARK

BLUE SHARK

BLUNTNOSE SIXGILL SHARK

BONNETHEAD SHARK

BROADNOSE SEVENGILL SHARK

BULL SHARK

DOGFISH SHARK

GALAPAGOS SHARK

GOBLIN SHARK

GREAT WHITE SHARK

HAMMERHEAD SHARK

LEMON SHARK

MAKO SHARK

MANTA RAY

NURSE SHARK

PORBEAGLE SHARK

SPINED PYGMY SHARK

TIGER SHARK

THRESHER SHARK

WHALE SHARK



Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories
Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales
Physical Sciences: K-12
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricanes
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano
Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish
Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
College Finder
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music
Word Wheels

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail Busy Little Brains
CD-ROM


Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:



Advertisement.

Advertisement.



Copyright ©1999-2018 EnchantedLearning.com ------ How to cite a web page