No joke, this shark might just be the absolute scariest creature ever to call our good old Earth its home

Mar 4, 2015 13:19 GMT  ·  By

Some time ago, a group of fishermen in Australia chanced to catch a seriously scary-looking fish later identified by wildlife researchers as a goblin shark.

Since nobody would ever try to cook such an ugly ocean dweller, the goblin shark was donated to the Australian Museum. Here, scientists are now busy studying it in an attempt to learn more about the species.

In a recent video, available below, wildlife expert Mark McGrouther shows us what this recently captured goblin shark looks like. Fair warning: this video might give you insomnia for about 2 weeks, so proceed with caution.

As explained by Mark McGrouther, the species populates the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian oceans. They stay close to the ocean floor and they use their snout to find fish and other creatures, which they swallow whole.

Thus, although they look pretty impressive, a goblin shark's sharp teeth are not designed to cut through flesh. Instead, they can only be used to grab hold of chunks of meat and guide them in the direction of the stomach.

Despite the fact that this species has been around for about 125 million years, researchers do not know very much about it. This is because, as mentioned, goblin sharks live on the ocean floor and like to keep to themselves.