Pointy-nosed blue chimaera

10/31/2017

The pointy-nosed blue chimaera is also known as ray troll's chimaera or the abyssal ghostshark. Whatever common name you want to call it, rest assured the scientific name never changes: Hydrolagus trolli.

Source: Robin McPhee & Mark McGrouther / NORFANZ Founding Parties.

As the first common name suggests, they are a dark-blue colour with blue/black fins and a dark stripe along their lateral line. They are a rather large deepwater ghostshark (getting up to 120 cm total length) which makes their small eyes look… well, smaller. These chimaeras have no anal fins, but do have long claspers.

Found near New Caledonia, New Zealand, and South Africa, they prefer the open ocean and depths between 610–2,000 metres (2,000–6,560 ft). While their diet is unknown, we do know they are oviparous… and that’s about it. The IUCN has assessed them as Least Concern (LC), as they are an uncommon bycatch for deepwater fisheries in their range because of how deep they are. Their depth range may be the factor giving refuge from exploitation.

ever heard of this critter?

glossary

Anal fin: fins behind the anus; used for stability while swimming.

Claspers: Sexual reproduction organs found on male elasmobranchs and chimaeras.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Lateral line: A system of sense organs found in fish that detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water.
Oviparity/oviparous: Where adult Chondrichthyans lay eggcases (also known as ‘mermaid’s purses) and the baby develops inside the egg before hatching.