dino-fish!
- Thread starter missyme06
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ChileRelleno;596913; said:Look closer behind what passes as pectoral fins, there are gills
It is a species of either Spearnose or Longnose Chimaera, found in the depths of the ocean, perhaps of the genus Harriotta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimaera_(fish)
There were many false stories with pictures of this fish and many others attributed to being sucked from the oceans depths by the Indonesian Tsumani, all of which were FALSE.
They were all brought up during specimen collections/research.
u beat me to it!!!!! this family of fish (chimaera) split off from the sharks and ray group. many them carry a highly vevomous spine in their dorsal fin. they are able to extend their jaw outward much like a shark when it eats but to a much greater extent. several specie r actually found in relativly shallow waters. the elphantnossed chimaera and the spotted ratfish (my personal favorite) both enter shallow water.
these fish happen to be my favorite fish on the planet. the Aquarium of the Pacific in longbeach california has a tank full of them
More info, and info directly pertaining to the nose/snout.
Longnose Chimaeras Rhinochimaeridae
This obscure, deep-sea family has just six species assigned to it. Some scientists do not treat this family separately, but lump its members with the chimaera family, Chimaeridae. Regardless of their taxonomic position, these species share the bizarre and unusual appearance of all chimaeras including an elongate body, relatively large eyes, and a protruding snout. This latter feature, along with the obvious, protruding bony "teeth plates" that resemble large incisors give the group its alternate common name, rabbitfishes. The long snout is a sensory organ, and as such is well-endowed with both chemical and electrical sensors. It is believed that these senses are used to detect prey and/or mates. When the latter resource is acquired, male longnose chimaeras hold onto their prize with claspers on their heads, which grasp the female's pectoral fin during mating.
All chimaeras, longnose or otherwise, are primitive fishes that are related to the sharks, and share several features with them, such as scaleless skin, and eggs that are encapsulated in horny packages. Longnose chimaeras are characterized by a fleshy gill cover which overlays four gill slits, and a venomous spine that stands erect on the first of the two dorsal fins. These fishes are not good swimmers, and are thought to feed on invertebrates and various other fishes, presumably those that they are capable of catching. They inhabit deep waters, down to 2600 m.
One species of longnose chimaera occurs in the Arctic:
Haeckel's chimaera (Harriotta haeckeli)
Longnose Chimaeras Rhinochimaeridae
This obscure, deep-sea family has just six species assigned to it. Some scientists do not treat this family separately, but lump its members with the chimaera family, Chimaeridae. Regardless of their taxonomic position, these species share the bizarre and unusual appearance of all chimaeras including an elongate body, relatively large eyes, and a protruding snout. This latter feature, along with the obvious, protruding bony "teeth plates" that resemble large incisors give the group its alternate common name, rabbitfishes. The long snout is a sensory organ, and as such is well-endowed with both chemical and electrical sensors. It is believed that these senses are used to detect prey and/or mates. When the latter resource is acquired, male longnose chimaeras hold onto their prize with claspers on their heads, which grasp the female's pectoral fin during mating.
All chimaeras, longnose or otherwise, are primitive fishes that are related to the sharks, and share several features with them, such as scaleless skin, and eggs that are encapsulated in horny packages. Longnose chimaeras are characterized by a fleshy gill cover which overlays four gill slits, and a venomous spine that stands erect on the first of the two dorsal fins. These fishes are not good swimmers, and are thought to feed on invertebrates and various other fishes, presumably those that they are capable of catching. They inhabit deep waters, down to 2600 m.
One species of longnose chimaera occurs in the Arctic:
Haeckel's chimaera (Harriotta haeckeli)
