Name: Spotted ratfish
Scientific Name: Hydrolagus colliei (Lay & Bennett, 1839)
Family: Chimaeridae
Group: Sharks, rays and chimaeras
Class: Fish
Size: 51-100 cm.
The spotted ratfish is a cartilaginous fish, related to the sharks and the rays. Considered a living fossil and still mysterious in many aspects, the spotted ratfish owes its family name to the mythic monster, part lion, part goat and part dragon. Also known as "sea ghost", its skin is soft and scaleless and its jaw blends into its skull. Even more surprising is the fact that has an operculum covering a brachial chamber, unlike to its closest relatives (the sharks and the rays). It is abundant in cold waters, near the sea bottom, up to 1000 metres deep. Its first dorsal fin is erectile and it has got a thorn attached to a poison gland, capable of inflicting a very painful sting. The males have five modified fins with reproductive functions called pterigopodes. Of these structures, two are pelvic and copulative and two others are prepelvic, and their function is not known. There is one more on its head, which enables it to hold the female while copulating. It feeds on other fish and invertebrates, which is quite a feat for something with only 6 teeth!
Photo by:
Abílio Leitão
Deep sea animals
