Callorhinchus | |
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Callorhinchus milii | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Order: | Chimaeriformes |
Family: | Callorhinchidae Garman, 1901 |
Genus: | Callorhinchus Lacépède, 1798 |
Species | |
The family Callorhinchidae (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.[1]
Plough-nose chimaeras are found only in the oceans of the southern hemisphere, and range from about 90 centimetres (3.0 ft) to 125 centimetres (4.10 ft) in total length.[2]
The family contains three modern species, all in the same genus:[2]
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