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December 9, 2020: Chimaera

Throughout the dive, we encountered several chimaeras of the genus Hydrolagus. Chimaeras also have the perhaps unfortunate common name of ratfish, as their long, thin tails were thought to resemble the tail of a rat..but at least they have beautiful coloration. These fascinating fish almost always steal the show.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019. Download larger version (jpg, 359 KB).

The Windows to Deep 2019 expedition marked the first dive celebrating 100 exploration missions aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. This exciting milestone dive began about 60 miles off of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at a site called Canaveral Deep. This site exists at the southern extent of the “Million Mounds” region, within the Stetson Miami Terrace Deep Water Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern.

Throughout the dive, we encountered several chimaeras of the genus, Hydrolagus. Chimaeras also have the perhaps unfortunate common name of "ratfish," as their long, thin tails were thought to resemble the tail of a rat..but at least they have beautiful coloration. These fascinating fish almost always steal the show. Watch a video of the fish.