The only documented pieces of evidence about them are several video footage, dead carcasses washed ashore or caught by nets, and the fossilized skull found in the Karoo region, South Africa. For this reason, there are only little known facts about this species until today. And instead of having multiple gills, they only have one external gill on each part of their body that also acts as their means of locomotion.Ĭhimaeras’ skeletons are also a cross between cartilaginous and bony (like sharks), so they’re nearly impossible to fossilize. Their colours vary from greyish-blue to brown. When inspected closely, it’s noticeable that chimaeras have strong resemblances with the animals from the Devonian period.Ĭhimaeras are fishes that don’t have scales. Ghost sharks are known to have the slowest evolving genome in any of the vertebrates, a reason why they don’t look like any of the modern-day species. Their name also fits their odd and creepy appearance. Unlike sharks that use their tails to propel themselves in the water, ghost sharks make use of their large dorsal fins to glide in the water - similar to how birds flap their wings. Chimaeras are opportunistic feeders, and their teeth are made of mineralized tooth plates that they use to crush and munch on molluscs and worms.ĭepending on the variety of their species, some Chimaeras also have snouts similar to elephants, as well as nostrils that are very much alike to what mammals have. These consist of three pairs that continuously grow instead of falling off like sharks’ teeth do. Similar to the Greek legendary monster of the same name, ghost sharks appear as if their parts come from different kinds of animals.įor one, they have teeth that resemble that of rodents. They also have a life span of 15 years.Ĭhimaeras have a morphology that’s is unlike any other animals in this world. That said, ghost sharks or chimaeras can grow up to 4.1 feet (125 cm) to 4.9 feet (150 cm), with a maximum size that can reach 6 feet. It’s an occurrence wherein deep-sea dwelling animals are larger than their shallow-water relatives because of certain environmental factors such as: Similar to other living organisms in the deepest part of the oceans, chimaeras also have what experts refer to as ‘Deep-Sea Gigantism’. They also prefer cold water thus why they’re seen in places like New Celadonia, Australia, and New Zealand (not including the Antarctic). Other variations of this species can be spotted going to inshore bays during their mating season however, Chimaeras are confined to the deep sea since they live in rocky habitats such as the ocean floor. Their first sighting was from footage caught by an ROV where a pointy nose blue chimaera was filmed. Since they’re deep-dwelling in the ocean, they’re rarely seen alive.
The earliest evidence of this species is the skull found in South Africa in the 1980s that researchers claim to be 280 million years old.ĭeep-sea ghost sharks live 8,500 feet or 2,600 meters under the water and are thought to only exist in the Southern Hemisphere. They’re known to have emerged after the Devonian extinction, which is approximately 420 million years ago. Surprisingly, the species of chimaeras already exist even before there were dinosaurs. They are also divided into three groups - plow-nose, short-nose, and long-nose. They’re known in many different names such as “King of Herring”, “rat fish”, and “elephant fish”.Īll over the globe, there are over 50 known species of ghost sharks that vary from their elongated noses and tails. If you want to learn more about them, this post contains curious and amazing facts about this peculiar creature.Ĭhimaeras or ghost sharks ( scientific name: Callorhincus milii ) are fishes from species that are relative to sharks and rays. There we see how ghost sharks look and how they behave in their natural habitat. In 2009, their very first footage was caught by a group of researchers miles beneath the coasts of California. There are only a few human encounters with deep-sea ghost sharks. According to NOAA, humans have only explored 20% of the sea - the other percentage remains unmapped and uncharted until this day.Īmong the elusive and mysterious creatures that lurk deep beneath its waters are ghost sharks, or also known as chimaeras - species that are believed to be one of the oldest fishes in the ocean. The most bizarre life forms are found in the deepest part of the ocean.
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