Have you ever seen a goblin shark? Well, they're huge and creepy and one fisherman in Florida was pretty surprised to find just that in his shrimping net.
"It was reeled in by a fisherman in Key West last month, and the fearsome finned creature has razor-sharp teeth and is around 18 feet long." (Via WTVJ)
Carl Moore was on a shrimping expedition from Georgia when he caught the shark, which he said looked prehistoric. (Via WTVT)
The 63-year-old told NBC he's caught other sharks before during his 15 years as a shrimping captain, but this one was way different. "I didn't know what it was. ... He had some mean-looking teeth and I didn't want to get caught up in those."
After releasing the shark and returning to shore last week, Moore reported his catch to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and discovered goblin sharks are actually really rare.
In fact, there isn't much known about the species — only that they usually linger very deep in the ocean. They also have movable jaws that eerily expand from their bodies when capturing prey. (Via Discovery)
Experts say they are usually spotted at a depth of about 5,000 feet in waters near Japan and South Africa. (Via Science Channel)
According to KeysNet, Moore's catch is only the second one ever recorded to be found in the Gulf of Mexico. The first one was found in 2000.
Moore says catching the alien-looking shark was the highlight in his 50 years of shrimp fishing.
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