Shrimper catches odd looking goblin shark off the coast of Key West, Florida

WHAT on Earth is this? A Florida shrimper got the shock of his life when this gruesome — and extremely rare — deep sea creature came up with his catch.

HE has a face only a mother could love — a mother who lives close to 1000 metres under water and has a diet of live squid and fish.

This is the goblin shark, a rare species that’s only been seen a few times over the past decade.

Spot the difference ... the goblin shark and some shrimp, moments before the rare fish was thrown back into the ocean. Picture: Carl Moore/NOAA

A Florida shrimper accidentally caught one of the incredibly odd-looking sharks off the coast of Key West last month, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“I didn’t even know what it was,” fisherman Carl Moore said.

“I didn’t get the tape measure out because that thing’s got some wicked teeth, they could do some damage.”

Instead, Moore quickly hoisted the creature back into the water. It was only luck that any photos were taken as Moore had only just bought a cell phone with a camera.

Looks strangely familiar ... OK so it’s a stretch, but this shark really did remind us of <i>LOTR’s</i> Mouth of Sauron.

The beast was caught on April 19, but it wasn’t until Thursday that Moore got to report it to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration whose scientists were immediately keen to know more.

The scientific community has been abuzz since news of the find came out on the NOAA website.

Researchers are grafetul the shark was set free, but disappointed they won’t get the chance to learn more about the mysterious deep-sea predator.

It’s believed it’s only the second time a shark of this kind has been seen in the Gulf of Mexico since 2000.

Hey good-looking ... a goblin shark. Picture: Dianne Bray/Museum Victoria