Eastern Pacific black chimaera

6/10/2019

Chimaera orientalis ANGULO, LÓPEZ, BUSSING & MURASE, 2014 © Arturo Angulo Sibaja, Universidad de Costa Rica; Paratype: UCR 2909–05.02, male, 760 mm TL, 475 mm BDL

Part of the Chimaeridae family, our next deep-sea critter happens to be found in the eastern Pacific region (most observations in Costa Rican and Peru waters). But first, a quick #finfact! Did you know that ‘chimaera’ is Latin for “marine monster”? It certainly doesn’t look like a monster to us!

The Eastern Pacific black chimaera, scientifically known as Chimaera orientalis, prefers the deep waters like others in their family. Having a depth range of 560-1138 meters, little is known about this critter. A male specimen measured a total of 17.6cm total length (TL), so it is a decent-sized animal. Like the common name states, it is a black to dark-brown colour, with their underbelly and their fins all being even a darker shade.

Another #finfact about this chimaera: they have an anal fin! It’s what sets them apart from other chimaeras that look like it. Well, that and they have a long dorsal spine that is longer than their first dorsal fin (which is pretty high, even with a short base). We know nothing else about their biology, and the IUCN has not even assessed them!

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.