More freaky sea life caught along with the notorious goblin shark off Key West, Florida

TURNS out there was something even more freaky caught along with the now-famous goblin shark.

The freaky giant isopod.

THE goblin shark spread nightmares when photos of the moment it was pulled from the deep went global last week.

But it turns out the rare shark was not the weirdest thing to be caught by the prawn fishermen off the coast of Key West, Florida, that day.

Scientists studying the photos of the crazy catch discovered a high number of giant isopods among the prawns.

“While I think (the) goblin shark is cool and all, look at all those freakin’ giant isopods!” marine biologist David Thaler tweeted.

Giant isopods can be seen among the prawns caught with the goblin shark in the waters off the coast of Florida. Picture: Carl Moore/NOAA

The weird-looking, insect-like crustaceans are a rare sight because, as a sea floor-dwelling scavenger, they live so deep under the surface.

The creatures are related to prawns, crabs and even slaters, which you can find in your back yard. They can grow to the size of a cat and have a hard, segmented shell, which allows them to be both strong and flexible.

The discovery of the giant isopods led Mr Thaler to believe that the boat was fishing above a whale fall, the resting place of a whale carcass.

“(Giant isopods) are usually spread pretty thin and only occur in abundance around a food source,” Mr Thaler told the Houston Chronicle.

“So, I hypothesised that the trawl might have passed over a whale fall, which would also explain the goblin shark.”

Deep sea photographer Peter Batson with a giant isopod. Picture: Graeme Parkes

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Whale falls, which can be found 2000m underwater, can support their own ecosystems for decades as deep-sea organisms feed off the remains.

Photos of the goblin shark went around the world last week after prawn fishermen pulled the freakish creature from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

With a long, flat snout and serrated teeth, the 5.5m shark was caught by accident while fishermen were trawling for prawns last month.

Prawn fishermen from Florida accidentally caught an incredibly rare goblin shark off the coast of Key West, Florida, on April 19. Picture: Carl Moore/NOAA