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Information about Chimaera

Chimaeras
Fossil range: Arraya
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Chondrichthyes
Subclass:Holocephali
Order:Chimaeriformes
Families
See text for families, genera and species.


Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes. They are related to the sharks and rays, and are sometimes called ghost sharks, ratfish (not to be confused with the "rattails"), or rabbitfishes.

Chimaeras live in temperate ocean floors and grow up to two meters long. Like other members of the class Chondrichthyes, chimaeras have a skeleton constructed of cartilage. Their skin is smooth and lacks scales, and their color can range from black to brownish gray.

For defense, most chimaeras have a venomous spine located in front of the dorsal fin.

Chimaeras resemble sharks in some ways: they employ claspers for internal fertilization of females and they lay eggs with leathery cases. They differ from sharks in that their upper jaws are fused with their skulls; they have separate anal and urogenital openings; and they lack the many sharp and replaceable teeth of sharks, having instead a few large permanent grinding tooth plates.

Albino Puget Sound ratfish

A rarest albino Puget Sound ratfish was discovered last summer near Whidbey Island, Washington. It is the only pure albino among the 7.2 million specimens in the University of Washington's fish collection. [1]

Gallery




Ratfish, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada.

Ratfish, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada.

Ratfish, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada.

Ratfish, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada.


Classification

In some classifications the chimaeras are included (as subclass Holocephali) in the class Chondrichthyes of cartilaginous fishes; in other systems this distinction may be raised to the level of class. Chimaeras also have some characteristics of bony fishes.

There are about forty species in six genera and three families:
Enlarge picture
Elephantfish, Callorhinchus callorynchus
Family Callorhinchidae
Enlarge picture
Chimaera monstrosa
Family Chimaeridae
Enlarge picture
Smalleyed rabbitfish, Hydrolagus affinis
Family Rhinochimaeridae

References

Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Chondrichthyes
Huxley, 1880

Subclasses and Orders

See text.

The Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
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Chimaeriformes

Families
See text for families, genera and species.

Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes. They are related to the sharks and rays, and are sometimes called ghost sharks, ratfish
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Chondrichthyes
Huxley, 1880

Subclasses and Orders

See text.

The Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
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SHARK

General
Vincent Rijmen, Joan Daemen, Bart Preneel, Antoon Bosselaers, Erik De Win
1996

KHAZAD, Rijndael

Cipher detail
Key size(s):| 128 bits

Block size(s):| 64 bits
Substitution-permutation network
6

In cryptography,
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Batoidea

Orders

Rajiformes - common rays and skates
Pristiformes - sawfishes
Torpediniformes - electric rays
See text for families.

Batoidea
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Macrouridae
Gilbert and Hubbs, 1916

Genera
See text.

Grenadiers or rattails are generally large, brown to black gadiform marine fish of the family Macrouridae.
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Earth's oceans
(World Ocean)
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Southern Ocean
An ocean (from Ωκεανός, Okeanos
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1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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Chondrichthyes
Huxley, 1880

Subclasses and Orders

See text.

The Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
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skeleton or skeletal system is the biological system providing physical support in living organisms. (By extension, non-biological outline structures such as gantries or buildings may also acquire skeletons.
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Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. It is composed of collagen fibers and/or elastin fibers, and can supply smooth surfaces for the movement of articulating bones.
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Skin layers: epidermis, dermis, and subcutis, showing a hair follicle, sweat gland & sebaceous gland.]] In zootomy and dermatology, skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial tissues that guard underlying muscles and organs.
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scale (Greek lepid, Latin squama) is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration.
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Venom (literally, poison of animal origin) is any of a variety of toxins used by certain types of animals, for the purpose of defense and hunting. Generally, venom is injected while other toxins are absorbed by ingestion or through the skin.
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In biology, spine or spiny may refer to:
  • Spine (botany), needle-like structures in plants
  • Spine (zoology), needle-like structures in animals
Spine may also refer to:
  • Vertebral column, spine in anatomy, the backbone

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dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fishes, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the (extinct) ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns.
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clasper or valva (plural valvae) is a body part of certain male animals, used in mating.

In entomology, it is a structure in male insects that is used to hold the female during copulation.

Male cartilaginous fish also have claspers.
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In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo.
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Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses.
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jaw is either of the two opposable structures forming, or near the entrance to, the mouth.

The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it.
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skull is a bony structure found in many animals which serves as the general framework for the head. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury.

The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible.
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Anal is an adjective meaning "of the anus". Related meanings:
  • Anal bleaching, is the practice of bleaching the darker pigmentation of the skin around the anus.
  • Anal fissure

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A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of those anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; namely:

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Rare is a word used to denote low numbers of abundance.

It can also refer to:
  • Rare species, a conservation category in biology designating the scarcity of an organism and implying a threat to its viability.

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Albinism
Classification & external resources

Albinistic boy
ICD-10 E 70.3
ICD-9 270.2

OMIM 203100 103470 , 203200 , 203280 ,
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Summer is one of the four seasons of the year. In the West, the seasons are generally considered to start at the equies and solstices, based on astronomical reckoning. In English-language calendars, based on astronomy, summer begins on the day of the summer solstice and ends on the
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Whidbey Island (historical spelling Whidby) is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington State, in the United States Whidbey is located about 30 miles (50 km) north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington.
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