479:. The range of depths in which this fish is found extends from 0 to 913 m (0 to 2,995 ft) below sea level, but it is most common between 50 and 400 m (160 and 1,310 ft). Spotted ratfish typically live closer to the shore in the northern part of their range than in the southern, but it is also found as shallow as 30 m (98 ft) off California. Spotted ratfish tend to move closer to shallow water during the spring and autumn, then to deeper water in summer and winter. For most of the year, they prefer temperatures between 7.2 and 8.9 °C (45 and 48 °F), but seasonally they do move into slightly warmer water. They can most commonly be found living near the sea floor in sandy, muddy, or rocky reef environments. Unlike most of
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have a smooth and scaleless skin that is a silvery-bronze color, often with sparkling shades of gold, blue, and green. The speckled white spots along their backs contribute to their name. Dark edges outline both the caudal and dorsal fins, whereas the pectoral fins have a transparent outline. Their
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is leather-like, 12.7 cm (5.0 in) long, and has a filament connected to it which is used to attach it to the ocean floor when it is let go by the mother. A female may be seen swimming around her newly laid eggs, in hopes of preventing predators from finding them. Development of the egg
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Lateral view of the generalized features of the skull: The upper jaw is fused to the cranium. Both the upper and lower teeth are plate-shaped (9). Of note, the spotted ratfish does not have a cartilaginous appendage to the frontonasal region (2), which is a common feature of the
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can take up to a year, which can be dangerous because the eggs are sometimes mistaken for inanimate objects by divers. When the young finally hatch, they are about 14 cm (5.5 in) in length and grow, reaching 30 cm (12 in) in length their first year.
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The ratfish prefers to maintain a safe distance from divers, and are usually not aggressive. However, if they feel their territory has been invaded, they are able to inflict a mildly toxic wound with their dorsal fin spines. As they swim, they perform
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The spotted ratfish swims slowly above the seafloor in search of food. Location of food is done by smell. Their usual hunting period is at night, when they move to shallow water to feed. They are particularly drawn to crunchy foods such as
412:, which have sharp teeth that are easily replaceable, spotted ratfish teeth are plate-shaped, mineralized, and permanent, which assist them in grinding their prey. Like many bony fishes, but unlike its sister group, the
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on the bottom of muddy or sandy areas, which are often mistaken by divers as something inanimate. While mainly a deep-water species, it occurs at shallower depths in the northern part of its range. The generic name,
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rather than bone. It has a duckbill-shaped snout and a rabbit-like face. The mouth is small and contains one pair of forward-directed, incisor-shaped teeth in the bottom jaw and two pairs in the top jaw. Unlike
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Huber, D.R., Dean, M.N., Summers, A. P. 2008. . Hard prey, soft jaws and the ontogeny of feeding mechanics in the spotted ratfish
Hydrolagus collie. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 5 (25), 941-953.
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to the eyes. The tip of the retractable organ is fleshy and lined with numerous small, sharp barbs. For the male to stay attached during courtship, the clasper has been observed to clamp down on the
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Foster, K. L. and Higham, T. E. (2010). How to build a pectoral fin: functional morphology and steady swimming kinematics of the spotted ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei. Can. J. Zool. 88, 774-780.
428:, which supports their ability to consume large prey. One of their most mesmerizing features is their large, emerald green eyes, which are able to reflect light, similar to the eyes of a cat.
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after the ratfish was swallowed). The tail of the ratfish constitutes almost half of its overall length and closely resembles a pointed, rat-like tail. The body of this fish is supported by
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of the female. Additional evidence for this use has been found in the form of scars and scratches on the dorsal sides of females. The significantly smaller body size of males, which is a
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spine located at the leading edge of their dorsal fin, which is used in defense. It does not present a serious danger to humans, but can cause painful wounds and has been known to kill
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The spotted ratfish has a very distinct appearance compared to unrelated fish species. The female is up to 97 cm (38 in) long, much bigger than the male. These
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season peaks during the spring to autumn. During this time, the female releases up to two fertilized eggs into sand or mud areas of the seabed every 10–14 days. The
504:. 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
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and corkscrew turns, as if they are flying. Ratfish swim using large pectoral fins, and this has often been termed aquatic flight given the resemblance to a bird.
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Raikow, R. J., & Swierczewski, E. V. (1975). Functional anatomy and sexual dimorphism of the cephalic clasper in the pacific ratfish (Chimaera collei).
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of the female. The interior of the pelvic clasper is supported by cartilage and separates into two branches, ultimately ending in a fleshy lobe on the
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784:. Stevens, J.; Last, P.R. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N., eds. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 69.
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pectoral fins are large and triangular, and extend straight out from the sides of their bodies like airplane wings. They have a
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A Greek-English
Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.
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Mortality related to spotted ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei) in
Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in Washington State.
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side of the fish. They protrude out from the pelvic fins and are responsible for the movement of sperm to the
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is fused with the skull. Although their jaws are soft and mouths are relatively small, they have the largest
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Male spotted ratfish have multiple secondary sexual characteristics, which include paired pelvic
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The cephalic clasper, or frontal tentaculum, of the spotted ratfish chimaera is shown in color.
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that ate spotted ratfish (caused by the spine penetrating vital tissue in the stomach or
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Akmajian, A.M.; Lambourn, D.M.; Lance, M.M.; Raverty, S.; and Gaydos, J.K. (2012).
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process can last 18–30 hours and the actual laying can last another 4–6 days. The
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The spotted ratfish can be found in the northeastern
Pacific Ocean, ranging from
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1007:" - #ScanAllFish Database - CT scans,12/16/2016, K. Newton M. Kolmann A. Summers
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475:. They are abundant in much of their range. They be found most commonly off the
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904:"Scientists discover rare albino ratfish - Technology & science - Science"
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Frontal view of the plate-shaped, mineralized, and permanent teeth of
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characteristic, may be a contributing factor to this mating behavior.
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Carrier, J. C., Heithaus, M. R., & Musick, J. A. (2012).
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631:. It is the only pure albino among the 7.2 million
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
818:"Husbandry of Spotted Ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei"
671:Barnett, L.A.K.; Ebert, D.A.; Dagit, D.D. (2015).
696:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T60191A80678052.en
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348:gets its characteristic name from a pointed
969:"Chimaeras - The Neglected Chondrichthyans"
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880:limley, A. P., & Oerding, S. (2013).
868:(4), 435-439. doi:10.1002/jmor.1051450404
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120:Learn how and when to remove this message
884:. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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340:. Often seen by divers at night in the
719:Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940).
532:Like some sharks, spotted ratfish are
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850:Biology of sharks and their relatives
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1284:Western North American coastal fauna
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58:adding citations to reliable sources
1274:IUCN Red List least concern species
682:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
951:"Spotted ratfish Information Page"
424:and jaw leverage found within the
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816:Tozer, H.; D. D. Dagit (2004).
771:J Wildl Dis. 48(4): 1057-1062.
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27:Species of cartilaginous fish
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882:Biology of Sharks and Rays
612:Albino Puget Sound ratfish
757:. September 2015 version.
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452:Distribution and habitat
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153:Conservation status
1055:Hydrolagus colliei
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747:Hydrolagus colliei
675:Hydrolagus colliei
593:sexually dimorphic
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933:"Spotted Ratfish"
522:pigeon guillemots
477:Pacific Northwest
342:Pacific Northwest
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910:. 2007-09-24
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52:Please help
47:verification
44:
1181:NatureServe
1129:iNaturalist
1049:Wikispecies
825:Colszoo.org
702:12 November
621:Puget Sound
426:Holocephali
375:Description
260:Chimaeridae
240:Holocephali
1279:Hydrolagus
1268:Categories
996:2017-07-01
978:2017-07-01
960:2017-07-01
942:2017-07-01
914:2017-07-01
830:2017-07-01
647:References
629:Washington
437:H. colliei
360:Hydrolagus
271:Hydrolagus
236:Subclass:
80:newspapers
633:specimens
599:Behaviour
574:posterior
542:extrusion
536:. Their
534:oviparous
518:pinnipeds
405:cartilage
401:esophagus
354:egg cases
278:Species:
206:Kingdom:
200:Eukaryota
1186:2.100213
1147:10572641
1103:FishBase
1095:46561126
1040:Q1262285
1034:Wikidata
908:NBC News
754:FishBase
585:anterior
562:claspers
546:egg sack
538:spawning
447:chimera.
418:chimaera
393:venomous
334:chimaera
256:Family:
220:Chordata
216:Phylum:
210:Animalia
196:Domain:
173:IUCN 3.1
1121:5215461
635:in the
616:A rare
581:clasper
570:oviduct
566:ventral
344:, this
332:) is a
266:Genus:
246:Order:
226:Class:
171: (
94:scholar
1251:271406
1225:271406
1212:795541
1160:161015
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618:albino
520:, and
465:Alaska
410:sharks
315:, 1839
311:&
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1246:WoRMS
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1173:60191
1142:IRMNG
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1082:6MK28
1069:33914
821:(PDF)
576:end.
502:clams
498:crabs
101:JSTOR
87:books
1220:OBIS
1199:7873
1194:NCBI
1168:IUCN
1155:ITIS
1116:GBIF
1108:2589
1064:BOLD
786:ISBN
704:2021
687:2015
641:fish
500:and
491:Diet
388:fish
365:hare
322:The
73:news
1090:EoL
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