| Spotted ratfish | ||||||||||||||
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| Hydrolagus colliei Lay & Bennett, 1839 |
The spotted ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei, is a chimaera found in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean. Often seen by divers at night in the Pacific Northwest, this harmless shark relative gets its characteristic name from a pointed rat-like tail. The ratfish lays leathery egg cases on the bottom of sandy/mud 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.
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Physical description
The spotted ratfish has a very distinct appearance compared to unrelated fish species. The female is up to 38 inches (97 cm) long, much bigger than the male. These fish have a smooth and scaless skin that is a silvery-bronze color, often with sparkling shades of gold, blue, and green. The speckled white spots along their back contribute to their name. Dark edges outline both the caudal and dorsal fins, whereas, the pectoral fins have a transparent outline. The ratfish’s pectoral fins are large and triangular, and extend straight out from their sides like airplane wings. They have a venomous spine located at the leading edge of their dorsal fin. The tail of the ratfish constitutes almost half of their overall length and closely resembles a pointed rat-like tail. The body of this fish is supported by cartilage rather than bone, as a result, it will go limp when removed from the water. It has a duckbill shaped snout and a rabbit-like face. The mouth is small and contains forward directed, incisor-shaped teeth, that act as plate-like grinding teeth. One of their most mesmerizing features is their large emerald green eyes which are able to reflect light, similar to eyes of a cat.
Habitat
The spotted ratfish can be found in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean. They can most commonly be found between the Pacific Northwest. The range of depths in which this fish is found extends from 0 to 3,000 feet (0 to 910 m) below sea level. Near 115° N. longitude and further north, the spotted ratfish lives close to the shore. On the southern end of their range, they live in deeper waters. Ratfish tend to move closer to shallow water during the spring and autumn, then to deeper water in summer and winter. Spotted ratfish can most commonly be found living near the bottom of sand, mud or rocky reefs of the ocean floor. Unlike most of its relatives which are entirely restricted to deep waters, the spotted ratfish has been held in public aquaria.[1]
Diet
The spotted ratfish swims slowly above the seafloor in search for food. Location of food is done by smell. Spotted ratfish are particularly drawn to crunchy foods like crabs and clams. Besides crabs and clams, the spotted ratfish also feeds on shrimp, worms, small fish, small crustaceans, and sea stars. Species known to predate on the spotted ratfish include soupfin sharks, dogfish sharks, Pacific halibut, and Pigeon Guillemots. Their usual hunting period is at nighttime, when they move to shallow water to feed.
Reproduction
Like some sharks, spotted ratfish are oviparous. Their spawning season peaks during the spring to autumn months. During this time, the female releases up to two fertilized eggs into sand or mud areas of the seabed every 10 to 14 days. The extrusion process can last anywhere from 18 to 30 hours and the actual laying can last another four to six days. The egg sack is leather-like, five inches 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. It is not unheard of to see a female ratfish swimming around her newly laid eggs, in hopes of preventing predators from finding them. Development of the egg 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 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length and grow, reaching 11.8 inches (30 cm) inches in length their first year.
Miscellaneous information
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2009) |
-The root meaning of the ratfish's scientific name, Hydrolagus colliei, comes from the Greek words hydro, meaning water, and lagus, meaning hare.
-The species name honors Alexander Collie, who was a ship surgeon and early naturalist.
-Related animals to the spotted ratfish include sharks, skates, rays, Australian ghost shark (elephant fish), short nose chimaeras and many others.
-The behavior of the ratfish around divers is that they prefer to maintain a safe distance and are usually not aggressive. However, if they feel their territory has been invaded, the ratfish is able to inflict a mildly toxic wound.
-The ratfish is not typically eaten by humans as it is not commercially caught for human consumption.
-As they swim, the ratfish can be seen doing barrel rolls and corkscrew turns, as if they are flying.
Albino Puget Sound ratfish
A rare albino Puget Sound ratfish was discovered near Whidbey Island, Washington. It is the only pure albino among the 7.2 million specimens in the University of Washington's fish collection.[2]
Gallery
 Ratfish, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada. |
References
- ^ Tozer, H., & D. D. Dagit (2004). Husbandry of Spotted Ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei.
- ^ Scientists discover rare albino ratfish
- http://www.elasmodiver.com/spotted_ratfish.htm
- http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/speciesid/fish_page/fish70a.html
- http://www.oregonlive.com/sharks/index.ssf?/sharks/spottedratfish.frame
- http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/shark_profiles/chimaera.htm
- http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?hOri=1&inhab=196
- http://animals.jrank.org/pages/1952/Chimaeras-Sharks-Skates-Rays-Chondrichthyes-SPOTTED-RATFISH-Hydrolagus-colliei-SPECIES-ACCOUNTS.html
- http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/SpottedRatfish/SpottedRatfish.html
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:Hydrolagus colliei |
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