Back Chimaeriformes AF خرافيات (سمك) Arabic Ximerkimilər AZ Хімерападобныя BE Хімэрападобныя BE-X-OLD Himere BS Quimeres (peixos) Catalan Chimaeriformes CEB Kimærer (fisk) Danish Seekatzen German
| Chimaeras Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Hydrolagus colliei (Chimaeridae) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Holocephali |
| Order: | Chimaeriformes Obruchev, 1953 |
| Subgroups | |
Chimaeras[1] are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes /kɪˈmɛrɪfɔːrmiːz/, known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively.
At one time a "diverse and abundant" group (based on the fossil record), their closest living relatives are sharks and rays, though their last common ancestor with them lived nearly 400 million years ago.[2] Today, they are largely confined to deep water.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
FBwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ancient And Bizarre Fish Discovered: New Species Of Ghostshark From California And Baja California". ScienceDaily. September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
- ^ Peterson, Roger Tory; Eschmeyer, William N.; Herald, Earl S. (1 September 1999). A Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes: North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 13. ISBN 0-618-00212-X. Retrieved 9 August 2015.