- The long-nosed chimaera was snagged by fishermen in the Davis Strait of Canada's extreme northerly province of Nunavut
- It is only the second of its kind ever documented in the area near the Hudson Strait
- Long-nosed chimaeras are believed to live in abyssal depths below 3,000 feet and are distance cousins of sharks and rays
'Potentially, if we fish deeper, maybe between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,000 to 6,000 feet), we could find that's there's actually quite a lot of them there,' University of Windsor researcher Nigel Hussey told CBC. 'We just don't know.'
The spooky, deep sea fish has a long nose, menacing mouth, and a venomous spine atop its gelatinous grey body and was caught near the northernmost province of Nunavut in Davis Straight.
Researchers, who at first believed the odd fish was the similarly freakish goblin shark, say the long-nosed chimaera likely makes its home at depths not often visited by humans.
Snagged: This rare and bizarre fish-called a long-nosed chimaera--was caught in the chilly waters off the northern coast of Canada by Nunavut fishermen in the Davis Strait
Hussey, who is credited with finally identifying the fish, says the mystery comes from the strange creature's rarity.
'Only one of these fish has previously been documented from the Hudson Strait,' Hussey said.
Rarity: Rarely ever seen, the long-nosed chimaera is an oddity among oddities. All chimaeras are poorly understood, but the long-nose, with its whip-like tail and long snout, is especially so
Just two: The fish was caught in the Davis Strait off Canada's most northerly province of Nunavut. It was only the second such specimen ever identified from the waters
Guess again: It was initially thought to be one of these equally odd, and also rare, creatures called a goblin shark. But chimaeras aren't sharks, they come from a distinct lineage that branched off from their cousins the sharks some 400 million years ago
The long-nosed chimaera has a whip-like tail and can grow to around three feet long.
A photo of the Davis Straight specimen, thanks largely to its sheer weirdness, has gone viral since it was posted online after being caught by a Nunavut fishing boat.
CHIMAERAS: OLD, WEIRD, UGLY AND ENIGMATIC
The chimaera is one of the world's oldest species of fish.
The chimaera goes by various names including ratfish, rabbitfish, and ghostsharks.
But they aren't sharks. The group branched off from sharks, its closest relative, around 400 million years ago and have remained a distinct, and distinctly odd, lineage ever since and have been basically unchanged since they shared the Earth with dinosaurs.
Like sharks and rays, chimaeras have a skeleton made of cartilage.Most species of chimaera have a mildly venomous spine on their back. The long-nosed chimaera is no exception.Enigma: Most species of chimaera live their lives in the dark, deep sea abyss. The enigmatic fish has its closest cousin in the shark, but the chimaera is much less common and for less studied
Some species of chimaera are even eaten as food in some parts of the world.
But the enigmatic fish is largely restricted to deep ocean waters, putting it out of reach to most fishermen and scientists.
For these reasons, the strange creatures are poorly studied and understood.
I take offense at calling the fish a "freak" moreover, it is concerning as to why this fish was caught at shallower depths unless these "fishermen" are trawling at deeper depths than before.