A rare fish was pulled from the deep in northeastern Canada and attracted a lot of attention. In fact this fish is believed to have only been caught twice. Nigel Hussey, a researcher with the Ocean Tracking Network, identified the mystery fish as a long-nosed chimaera.
‘Potentially, if we fish deeper, maybe between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,000 to 6,000 feet), we could find that’s there’s actually quite a lot of them there,’ University of Windsor researcher Nigel Hussey told CBC. ‘We just don’t know.’
The Rhinochimaeridae, commonly known as long-nosed chimaeras, are a family of cartilaginous fish. They are similar in form and habits to other chimaeras, but have an exceptionally long conical or paddle-shaped snout. The snout has numerous sensory nerve endings, and is used to find food such as small fish. The first dorsal fin includes a mildly venomous spine, used in defense.
Researchers, who at first believed the odd fish was the similarly freakish goblin shark, say the long-nosed chimaera likely makes its home at depths not often visited by humans.
Here is a video of the long-nosed chimaera from the Japan Agency for Marine Science and Technology.
Source: Daily Mail and GrindTV
Photo Credit: Jutai Korgak
