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What type of fish is a ratfish?
shortnose chimaeras
The spotted ratfish is one of 36 species of shortnose chimaeras, a group of fishes closely related to the sharks and rays. It gets its common name from its long, thin tail that early scientists thought resembled a rat’s.
How are chimaeras different from sharks?
Chimaera are closely related to sharks, skates and rays. But they diverged from their shark relatives around 400 million years ago. They differ from sharks as they have: Upper jaws that are fused to their skull.
Is a Ratfish a cartilaginous fish?
The spotted ratfish has characteristics of both bony fish and cartilaginous fish. It is known to be a “missing link” between bony fish and sharks.
Is a chimera a shark?
Chimaera, (subclass Holocephali), also spelled chimera, also called ghost shark, any of numerous cartilaginous fishes related to sharks and rays in the class Chondrichthyes but separated from them as the subclass (or sometimes class) Holocephali.
Are Ratfish good to eat?
While it is often caught as bycatch in commercial fisheries, the spotted ratfish is edible but not tasty: its flesh is described on FishBase as bland with an unpleasant aftertaste. The spotted ratfish has a venemous spine that can cause painful wounds.
Which group do Ratfish fit into?
chimaera
Ratfish, any of certain sharks of the chimaera (q.v.) group.
What is ghost shark?
Ghost Shark. The ghost shark is easily identified because of their very large, high-set eyes, and the club-like structure at the end of their snouts. Their protruding snout is made to search for food prey in the sand, and is highly sensitive to electric fields and movement.
Are there human chimeras?
A human chimera is made up of two different sets of DNA, from two different individuals. Experts aren’t quite sure how common chimeras are in the human population, as only 100 cases have been documented so far. However, the prevalence of natural human chimeras is hypothesized to be as high as 10%.
Where are Ratfish found?
Residing in temperate waters, the spotted ratfish live near the bottom from the intertidal zone to depths of 2,950 feet (900 m). It prefers mud and rocky bottom habitats and is often found in bays and sounds in the northern reaches of its distribution.
Why are ratfish dangerous?
It does not present a serious danger to humans, but can cause painful wounds and has been known to kill harbor seals that ate spotted ratfish (caused by the spine penetrating vital tissue in the stomach or esophagus after the ratfish was swallowed).
What kind of fish is a spotted ratfish?
The spotted ratfish is one of 36 species of shortnose chimaeras, a group of fishes closely related to the sharks and rays.
How are ratfish related to Sharks in Monterey Bay?
Ratfish cruise just above the seafloor searching for crunchy food like crabs and clams. Spotted ratfish are among the deepest-living fishes in Monterey Bay. They are related to sharks and are considered the missing link between the bony and cartilaginous fishes because they have the characteristics of both.
What kind of food does a ratfish eat?
Diet: Ratfish have plate-like grinding teeth and they are reported “to have the highest jaw leverage of any cartilaginous species studied” (source 3). This makes them well-suited to be able to crush the hard bits of fish, crabs including hermit crabs, shrimp, snails, sea urchins, worms, bivalves like clams, and isopods (source 9).
Is the ratfish really an ancient living fossil?
Truly an ancient living fossil! The ratfish is an extraordinary fish found in all the world’s oceans, close to the bottom, at depths of 300–500 meters, with a reported maximum depth of 1,663 meters.