Animalscaretips
The spotted ratfish is a generalist predator and eats a variety of invertebrates and fishes associated with the seafloor. These include crabs, clams, and other hard-shelled prey, and the spotted ratfish has strong tooth plates, used to break apart these animals.
- Is Ratfish good to eat?
- What kind of fish is ratfish?
- Is the Ratfish a shark?
- Where does a rat fish live?
- What do Ratfish do?
- Is Ratfish a bony fish?
- Does a ratfish have a swim bladder?
- How old is the ratfish?
- How many gill slits do spotted ratfish have?
- What does a Ratfish look like?
- How many species of ratfish are there?
- What is rat of the sea?
- Is Dogfish a fish?
- What is the scientific name of rat fish?
Is Ratfish good to eat?
While it is often caught as bycatch in commercial fisheries, the spotted ratfish is edible but not tasty: its flesh is described on FishBase as bland with an unpleasant aftertaste. The spotted ratfish has a venemous spine that can cause painful wounds.
What kind of fish is ratfish?
About Spotted Ratfish
Spotted Ratfish are a cartilaginous fish distantly related to sharks. This is probably one of the most visually striking fish at the Aquarium. It has a long, scaleless body that tapers to a rat-like tail – which gives the fish its unusual name.
Is the Ratfish a shark?
The ratfish and its clan, the chimaeras (kih-MEER-uhz), belong to the taxonomic class Chondrichthyes (kahn-drik-THEEZ, literally “cartilaginous fishes”), along with sharks and rays, but they split from the ancestral shark line early on, about 420 million years ago.
Where does a rat fish live?
Residing in temperate waters, the spotted ratfish live near the bottom from the intertidal zone to depths of 2,950 feet (900 m). It prefers mud and rocky bottom habitats and is often found in bays and sounds in the northern reaches of its distribution.
What do Ratfish do?
The spotted ratfish swims slowly above the seafloor in search of food. ... Besides these, the spotted ratfish also feeds on shrimp, worms, small fish, small crustaceans, and sea stars. Species known to prey on the spotted ratfish include soupfin sharks, dogfish sharks, Pacific halibut, pinnipeds, and pigeon guillemots.
Is Ratfish a bony fish?
The spotted ratfish has characteristics of both bony fish and cartilaginous fish. It is known to be a "missing link" between bony fish and sharks.
Does a ratfish have a swim bladder?
Members of the class Chondrichthyes ("cartilage-fish") include the sharks, skates, rays, and ratfish. ... Chondrichthyes lack swim bladders, have spiral valve intestines, exhibit internal fertilization, and posses 5-7 gill arches (most have 5).
How old is the ratfish?
The fossil, named in 1986, is nothing more than the brainpan of a 280 million year-old fish. Paleontologists know it as Dwykaselachus oosthuizeni, and, up until now, it was thought to represent a form of totally-extinct shark called a symmoriid.
How many gill slits do spotted ratfish have?
shark with six gill slits on each side of the head; also the only species with a single dorsal fin. Dentition Lower jaw with 6 comb- shaped teeth. Coloration Dark gray to brown dorsally; light gray to white ventrally. Body shape Stout, with broad, rounded head.
What does a Ratfish look like?
Spotted ratfish have a rabbit-like head, a protruding snout, and a body that tapers toward the narrow tail that is almost half the overall length of the fish. Their skin is smooth and scaleless. Triangular pectoral fins are large and well-developed. There are large spines in front of the dorsal fin.
How many species of ratfish are there?
They have slender tails, from which the name ratfish, applied to some, has been derived. There are about 47 species of chimaeras, ranging in length from about 60 to 200 cm (24 to 80 inches) and in colour from silvery to blackish.
What is rat of the sea?
A fish, the chimaera. noun.
Is Dogfish a fish?
dogfish, (order Squaliformes), any of several small sharks making up an order of chondrichthyian fishes composed of the families Centrophoridae (gulper sharks), Dalatiidae, Echinorhinidae, Etmopteridae, Oxynotidae, Somniosidae, and Squalidae. In North America the name is also used for a freshwater fish, the bowfin.
What is the scientific name of rat fish?
The spotted ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei) is a type of chimaera fish found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Chimaera is a group of cartilaginous fish that are often called by informal names like ghost sharks, ratfish, rabbitfish, and spook fish.
