The elusive goblin shark was recently spotted off the Gulf of Mexico after a fisherman found a menacing surprise in his usual catch.
Only the second such sighting on record, the 18-foot-long goblin shark turned up in Carl Moore's net on April 19, but the shrimper didn't report the find to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service until May 1, The Independent reported.
The unusual shark species, which is characterized by an elongated head and snout, tiny eyes and 50 long, sharp teeth, was last seen in the Gulf of Mexico in 2002.
"I didn't even know what it was," Moore told the Houston Chronicle. "I didn't get the tape measure out because that thing's got some wicked teeth, they could do some damage."
Little is known about the sharks, which have been spotted near Japan or in the Indian Ocean and around South Africa. To the later dismay of NOAA scientists, Moore released the rare catch back into the wild, but at least he snapped a few pictures first. The lifetime fisherman had fortunately just bought a cellphone with a camera.
"My 3-year-old grandson, he just loves sharks so I've been taking pictures of every one we find, when I showed him this one he said, 'Wow, Pappa!'" Moore told the Houston Chronicle.
Goblin sharks are known as "living fossils" for their prehistoric-looking long snouts with protruding sharp teeth. They also have a distinct color.
"At first I wasn't sure if it was even possible for this to happen, but then when the photos came through, it is undeniably a goblin shark. It's a shark ... that's pink!" David Shiffman, a shark blogger and University of Miami marine biologist, said of the find to the Houston Chronicle.
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