Goblin shark discovered in Canary Islands

Scientists have published the first living example of a goblin shark to be found in Canarian waters.

The goblin shark, which is distinguished by its extended snout and protruding jaws with sharp, snaggly teeth, was caught by fishermen off the coast of Gran Canaria in May 2024, photographed and returned to the sea.

Now the discovery has been published in Thalassas: The International Journal of Marine Sciences, by a team of scientists that includes Alberto Brito of the University of La laguna in Tenerife.

The paper states that “this record constitutes a notable expansion of the species’ known distribution range in the Central–Eastern Atlantic. The finding highlights the ecological significance of deep-sea habitats in the region and underscores the need for continued exploration and monitoring of these poorly studied environments.”