Chimaeras are soft-bodied, shark-like fish with bulky heads and long, tapered tails; measured from the tail, they can grow up to 150 cm (4.9 ft) in length. Like other members of the class Chondrichthyes, chimaera skeletons are entirely cartilaginous, or composed of cartilage.

chimaera, (subclass Holocephali), 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.

Chimaeras are commely referred to as ghost sharks, but they are also sometimes called spookfish, rat fish, rabbit fish and even elephant fish due to their rather odd-looking appearances throughout their different species.

This shark is famous for its aerial acrobatics. CREATURE FEATURE: OCEANIC WHITETIP. This month, it’s the turn of a legendary shark – the Oceanic Whitetip. Known for their incredibly long dorsal and pectoral fins, this species was once the most abundant oceanic-pelagic species of shark on the planet. CREATURE FEATURE: COWNOSE RAY

2024年3月20日 · Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen species of "ghost shark" with a massive head, giant, iridescent eyes and feathery fins in the depths of the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand....

2024年8月27日 · Chimaeras, also known as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish, are cartilaginous fish belonging to the order Chimaeriformes. As relatives of sharks and rays, they are part of the broader group Chondrichthyes.

2024年5月27日 · Common names for chimaeras include ghost shark, rat fish, and spook fish. These names all stem from the chimaera’s unique appearance. While the closest modern relatives of the chimaera are the sharks and rays, their last common ancestor lived almost 400 million years ago.

2016年12月15日 · Also called chimaeras, ghost sharks are dead-eyed, wing-finned fish rarely seen by people. Relatives of sharks and rays, these deep-sea denizens split off from these other groups some 300 million...

It's known as an elephant fish, an elephant shark, or a ghost shark, even though the fish is a chimaera and not a shark. It's a beautiful animal that has iridescent, silvery-grey skin with dark blotches.

Some 42 species of living chimaera are known, divided into three families. The family Chimaeridae includes the shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes, with two genera (Chimaera and Hydrolagus, the latter means 'water rabbit') and about 31 species.