Chimaera

Chimaeras
Temporal range:
Hydrolagus colliei (Chimaeridae)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Holocephali
Order: Chimaeriformes
Obruchev, 1953
Subgroups

Chimaeras[1] are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes /kɪˈmɛrɪfɔːrmz/, known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively.

At one time a "diverse and abundant" group (based on the fossil record), their closest living relatives are sharks and rays, though their last common ancestor with them lived nearly 400 million years ago.[2] Living species are largely confined to deep water.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference FB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Ancient And Bizarre Fish Discovered: New Species Of Ghostshark From California And Baja California". ScienceDaily. September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  3. ^ Peterson, Roger Tory; Eschmeyer, William N.; Herald, Earl S. (1 September 1999). A Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes: North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 13. ISBN 0-618-00212-X. Retrieved 9 August 2015.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search