Goblin sharks in the Mediterranean? Spectacular cadaver find baffles researchers

A long snout, spike-like teeth, an overall striking head shape: goblin sharks look as mysterious as they are creepy. The nose sharks, as they are also called, are among the rarest sharks in the world. Their habitat is the deep sea, where they are occasionally sighted.

However, goblin sharks were never suspected in the Mediterranean until the summer of 2020, when Giannis Papadakis spotted a strange-looking creature washed up on a beach in Greece. Papadakis, an amateur scientist, placed the animal on a rock and took pictures of his discovery. A group of researchers took the photo of the sensational find and published a scientific article about it in 2022.

The paper was a breakthrough on several levels: it not only served as alleged evidence of the existence of goblin sharks in the Mediterranean Sea, but also demonstrated the growing importance of so-called citizen science, in which interested laymen assist scientists in their research.

An absolute stroke of luck – if it weren’t for other experts. After the publication of the article, more and more experts suddenly expressed their doubts about the authenticity of the discovery. “He looks funny,” said a non-fiction writer in the photo of the find. “The shark looks unusually small and the gills don’t seem to be open. It doesn’t look natural at all.”

Experts also complained that only the amateur photo and a short description of the finder could serve as evidence. They also criticized the fact that there had been no scientific study of the animal. A group of marine biologists wrote in a public statement, “We doubt it is a natural find.” In the photo, the animal has no teeth, fins that are too round and insufficient gills. This is all atypical for goblin sharks.

In early March, some researchers finally raised a bizarre suspicion: A DeAgostini collectible figure bore a striking resemblance to the Greek “goblin shark.” A screenshot revealed that the toys from the Sharks & Co collection had the same number of closed gills, the same rounded fins, and an identical-looking snout with no teeth.

The authors of the shark article initially went back only slightly: They corrected the estimated length of the shark found from about 70 to about 17 centimeters and assumed that such a small animal could be an embryo. But other experts consider that just as unlikely: “A goblin shark embryo of this size is not viable,” says German shark expert Jürgen Pollerspöck. And even a shark embryo that was already dead would hardly have washed up on a beach unscathed.

Faced with opposition from within their own ranks, the authors of the article felt compelled to withdraw their work. The technical article on the find of the goblin shark in Greece is no longer available. It is unclear whether the found animal is actually a toy or not. However, the arguments clearly contradict the scientific correctness of the article.

And what about real goblin sharks in the Mediterranean? Pollerspöck considers their existence unlikely, but not impossible. “Mediterranean fisheries have a long tradition and it would be a huge surprise that such a large species of fish has not been discovered in such a long time.” But it may be that a small population successfully hides from humans at depth.

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