A rare, deep-sea "goblin shark" caught by Florida shrimp fishermen is only the second of these creatures ever seen in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists say.
The prehistoric-looking beast, whose pink color and daggerlike teeth earn the shark its name, is usually seen in deep waters off the coast of Japan. On April 19, fisherman Carl Moore and his crewmates were fishing off the coast of Key West, Florida, when they hauled up the 15-foot-long (4.6 meters) shark with a net full of shrimp from 2,000 feet (610 m) of water. They hoisted the animal up and threw it back into the ocean.
"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."
Fortunately, Moore was able to take pictures of the creature using the camera on a cellphone he had just bought. The fishermen reported the sighting to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where shark expert John Carlson was alerted.
