Goblins don't exist... or do they? One Florida-based commercial fisherman is certainly scratching his head after reeling in a real life goblin shark. 

According to GrindTV Carl Moore was having a routine workday out in the Florida Keys. He was shrimp fishing and, as such, there was no reason to suspect that he would snag an 18-foot shark, let alone one as rare as a goblin shark.

So just how uncommon is a goblin shark? Only one other goblin shark had been caught in the Gulf of Mexico, that incident occurring just under 14 years ago on July 25, 2000.

As such, the ultra-rare catch couldn't even be identified by Moore. But the quick-thinking fisherman took pictures of the beast before releasing it back into the wild, alive and well.

"I didn't even know what it was," Moore told the Houston Chronicle via SFGate. "I didn't get the tape measure out because that thing's got some wicked teeth, they could do some damage."

The goblin shark has multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth that protrude outward. Its snout also juts out far past the teeth, helping to result in the odd appearance.

It's no wonder that it took experts like John Carlson of the NOAA Fisheries Service to determine exactly what type of shark it was.

"We don't even know how old they get, how fast they grow," Carlson told the Houston Chronicle.

Carlson was excited about the find for a number of reasons. One such reason was the fact that Moore ran into the animal in only 2,000 feet of water. Another stemmed from the Gulf of Mexico location, of course. The goblin shark is native to the Eastern Hemisphere.

"This is only the second confirmed sighting in the Gulf; the majority of specimens are found off Japan or in the Indian Ocean and around South Africa," Carlson remarked.

Marine biologist Charlott Stenberg echoed Carlson's excitement surrounding the find.

"I love them because they're pink, they're mysterious, and they live deep among other cool creatures," she told Southern Fried Science. "I know many people think that they are ugly, but that just makes me love them more."

What do you think you'll catch on your next fishing trip? Let us know in the comments section below.

Check out a news report on the unusual-looking shark below: