Holocephali
The subclass Holocephali ("complete heads") is a taxon of cartilaginous fish in the class Chondrichthyes. Members of the subclass move by using sweeping movements of their large pectoral fins. They have long slender tails and live close to the seabed feeding on benthic invertebrates. They lack a stomach, food moving directly into the intestine. The earliest fossils are of teeth and come from the Devonian period. Little is known about these primitive forms, and the only surviving group in the subclass is the order Chimaeriformes. This group includes the rat fishes in the genus Chimaera, and the elephant fishes in the genus Callorhynchus.
Characteristics
Members of this taxon preserve today some features of elasmobranch life in Paleozoic times, though in other respects they are aberrant. They live close to the bottom and feed on molluscs and other invertebrates. The tail is long and thin and they move by sweeping movements of the large pectoral fins. The erectile spine in front of the dorsal fin is sometimes poisonous. There is no stomach (that is, the gut is simplified and the 'stomach' is merged with the intestine), and the mouth is a small aperture surrounded by lips, giving the head a parrot-like appearance. The only surviving members of the group are the rabbit fish (Chimaera), and the elephant fishes (Callorhynchus).
Podcasts:
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by The Legendary Pink Dots
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by Legendary Pink Dots
Hellsville
by: The Legendary Pink DotsFixing on a lonely star on 4 Avengers morning, on the blood
stained steps of Hope, forgotten, carrying our cross like
guilty children waiting 'til our father's home. Hel'' crack
our backs, he'll break our bones. His iron rod will comb
the hair that stiffens on our spines. We walk defeated
in a line. Our one release is in the fiery furnace . . . Take
us swiftly, take us now to Hellsville (Bells peal! Roll
the barrel . . . Down the pills.) But still we'll never die
because we cannot pay enough. Our sweet Lord may be
merciful, but he likes to play things tough. And HELL
is where the action is. They came from lonely stars in
search of wholesome entertainment. We're the stars. We're
the stars that line the stage--the attraction of the
ages. Buy a ticket, feel our pain. God, it's outrageous.
It's a scream in Hellsville.