A monstrous-looking "goblin shark" was spotted for only the second time by shrimp fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico, Live Science reported.
The men caught the rare, pink-hued shark with razor-sharp teeth on April 19 while fishing off the coast of Key West, Florida. The shark was hoisted up in a net full of shrimp from 2,000 feet of water, Live Science reported. Unsure of what the hideous thing was, the men threw the nearly 18-foot long shark back into the water.
"I didn't even know what it was," Carl Moore, who caught the goblin shark with his crew, 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."
It was only last Thursday that More reported the goblin shark sighting to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the newspaper reported.
"This is great news," NOAA shark expert John Carlson told The Houston Chronicle. "This is only the second confirmed sighting in the Gulf, the majority of specimens are found off Japan or in the Indian Ocean and around South Africa."
The shark, with its protruding teeth hidden by a long snout, has a prehistoric appearance.
"They look more prehistoric, because they're adapted to life in the deep sea," Carlson told Live Science.
But scientists know little else about the goblin shark, including why it's pink. Not much data from deepwater surveys, where the shark lives, is available to scientists. As a result, researchers don't know if the goblin shark is indeed rare or if it just hasn't been seen, Live Science reported.
"As a whole we know very little about these animals- how old they get, how fast they grow, where their nurseries are," Carlson told Live Science.
Though scientists said they were happy Moore released the shark, they were still disappointed at losing the chance to learn more about it.
"That's my ocean out there and anything in it concerns me...I know the value of trying to preserve things," Moore told The Houston Chronicle.
