Scientists Mistakenly Identify Plastic Toy as Rare Goblin Shark
Scientists retract their record of the first-ever goblin shark found in the Mediterranean Sea, based on a single, low-quality photo provided to them by a citizen scientist in May 2022. Critics of the record honed in on the photographed specimen’s unusual appearance, which looked more like a figurine than an authentic dead shark. Some shark researchers honed in on a particular plastic toy, for sale on eBay, which bears a striking resemblance to the photographed specimen. The retraction note was released online this week, and the meat of the notice is brief—shorter even than the retraction’s title.
