A rare goblin shark has made a surprising appearance, leaving local fishermen stunned.
Marcos Hernández and Ramón Santana spotted the deep-sea species, which is also known as Mitsukurina owstoni, and captured it on video.
The creature hovered in the water as the fishermen’s boat passed by.
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Sometimes referred to as a “living fossil”, it is best known for its protrusible jaw and elongated beak.
These features give the goblin shark an otherworldly appearance.
The creature was spotted as Marcos and Ramón fished at a depth of around 900 metres.
They were hunting for hake and deepwater perch at the time, as reported by What’s The Jam.
The creature was spotted off the coast of San Cristóbal in Gran Canaria, Spain.
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According to local press, this is the first confirmed sighting of this species in these particular waters.
Marcos revealed that he and Ramón, who are both from the area, had “no idea what it was” when they first spotted the goblin shark.
He said: “When it came up, we had no idea what it was.
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“At first, we thought it was a swordfish because of the snout but then we realised it wasn’t.
“It had leathery skin and after looking online, we understood what it really was.”
The fishermen captured the goblin shark to take a photo before releasing it back into the ocean.
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