Callorhinchus
Encyclopedia
The family Callorhincidae (sometimes spelled "Callorhynchidae"), or plough-nose chimaeras, are a family of marine fish. They are similar in form and habits to other chimaeras, but are distinguished by the presence of an elongated and flexible fleshy snout, with a vague resemblance to a ploughshare. The snout is used to probe the sea bottom in search of the invertebrates and small fishes on which it preys.
Plough-nose chimaeras are found only in the oceans of the southern hemisphere, and range from about 90 centimetres (3 ft) to 125 centimetres (4.1 ft) in total length.
Plough-nose chimaeras are found only in the oceans of the southern hemisphere, and range from about 90 centimetres (3 ft) to 125 centimetres (4.1 ft) in total length.
Species
The family contains three species, all in the same genus:- Callorhinchus callorynchusCallorhinchus callorynchusThe elephantfish is a species of fish in the Callorhinchidae family. It is found in Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil. Its natural habitat is open seas.-References:...
(LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1758) (Ploughnose chimaera) - Callorhinchus capensis A. H. A. Duméril, 1865 (Cape elephantfish)
- Callorhinchus milii Bory de Saint-VincentJean Baptiste Bory de Saint-VincentJean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent was a French naturalist. He was born at Agen...
, 1823 (Australian ghost shark)