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Family Mitsukurinidae Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes Family: Mitsukurinidae Genus: Mitsukurina Species: Mitsukurina owstoni Defining Characteristics: – – – – – – – – – – – Elongated, flattened snout with electroreceptors Mouth ventral Jaws highly protrusible Small eyes Five gill slits Anal fin broadly rounded Upper lobe of caudal fin long (~ ½ length of body Lower lobe of caudal fin not developed Vertebrae 122-125 Body length 107-380 cm, max 3.8 m Pale grey, brown, to pink due to blood vessels visible through the skin Distribution: – Outer continental and upper slopes and seamounts – Depth 100 to 1300 meters – Scattered in Eastern & Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Western Pacific, (Japan, Australia, New Zealand), Eastern Pacific, (Southern California). Feeding Behavior: – Protrusion of jaws accompanied by depression of tongue = rapid buccal cavity expansion allows for swallowing of relatively large prey and occlusion of upper and lower teeth prevents small prey from escaping. – Probably hangs motionless in the water column detecting approaching prey with the ampullae of Lorenzini along its snout. – Prey items: Crabs, squid, mesopelagic teleosts, octopus, ~ ostracod Reproduction: – Thought to be ovoviviparous Population Status: – IUCN Red List: Least concern References: Carrier, J.C., Musick, J.A., Heithaus, M.R., 2004. Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives. CRC Press, pp. 46, 48, 67. Duffy, C. A. J. , 1997. Further records of the goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni (Lamniformes: Mitsukurinidae), from New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, Vol. 24: 167-171 Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2007. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2007), accessed 10/1/07. Hamlett, W. C., 1999. Sharks, Skates, and Rays the Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes. The John Hopkins University Press. pp. 19, 20. IUCN 2007. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01 October 2007. Nelson, J.S., 2006. Fishes of the World 4th edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 57, 58. Pope, P.E., 1973. Dictionary of Sharks. Great Outdoors Publishing Co. pp. 42. Rorem, S. 2002. "Sea Creatures 101: Shark Series: The Goblin Shark: Ugly and Rare" (Online ). Accessed 03-16-03 at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/aquatic_animals/87679. Amber McCammon 5/7/2017