Scientific name:
Holocephalia

Natural spread:
southern hemisphere

until on the cartilage-skeleton distinguishes the sea-dragons essentially more strongly from the Plattenkiemern (sharks and smelled) for itself in the physique, as one assumed earlier. The back-side (Chorda dorsalis) remains gotten as nonstop axis-rod (without fuss-formation). it stands with the knorpligen skull-capsule without interruption in connection. While the jaws are fortified movable at the brain-skull with the Plattenkiemern, the upper jaw is firmly deformed (the name Holocephalia means "quite-headed") with the Chimären with the skull-capsule. As with the bone-fish covered a knorpliger gill-cover the four gill-columns, so that only one gill-column becomes visible outside. In contrast to the teeth of the Plattenkiemer, tooth-plates, in the upper jaw four and in the lower jaw two, that constantly grow back, near the Chimären are trained. The present-day sea-dragons (3 families with 28 types) represent the rest of a very old fish-group, that already since was the Oberdevon and Karbon (65-340 million years ago) widespread in the oceans.

Body-form At the cylindrical one, at the side something flattened, bodies scale-draw lots the big head with the under-continuous, small mouth-opening attracts attention. The first back-fin, that only shortly and triangle-shaped high is, kopfwärts begins with a powerful poison-thorn. The second back-fin proceeds as far as to the tail-base as narrow, long hem. The just as narrow tail fluke finishes in a long, rat-tail-similar thread. Therefore, the Chimären are called also "sea-rats." The big flippers serve as sole drive-tools. One recognizes the smaller males by the few-y clamp-organs (Myxopterygien) and an odd forehead-tap, that are also probably used for the adherence at the mating.

Reproduction All sea-dragons put eggs (ovipar), two in fact each all at once. These quite big structures (with the Spöke 2,5 x 17 cm) are surrounded like with the ah-killing sharks and smelled of a horny protection-cover who finishes in a 3-4 cm long thread on the pointed end. The newly slipped boys of 10-11 cm of length look already like the adult Chimären.

Sea-cats (family Chimaeridae)) Is the sea-rat, sea-cat or Spöke (Chimaera monstrosa) given a home in the European part of the Atlantic of Iceland and North-Norway as far as to the western Mediterranean. The fish (from it 1/3 rears) long until 1,4 m lives in depths at the seabed between 100 and 500 m. it lives mainly from cancers, mollusks and Stachelhäutern (particularly snake-stars) and as an exception from smaller fishings. For the fishery, the Spöke is without meaning.

Langnasenchimären (family Rhinochimaeridae)) This family became known in only few copies with 4 types. As deep sea-inhabitants, who live in almost all seas between 600 and 2600 m, they only rarely are caught. it is characteristic long moved out, swordfish-similar muzzle-top.

Elephant or Pflugnasenchimären (family Callorhynchidae)) The trunk-nicely extended muzzle breaks downward and backwards in the pointed corner in front and looks like a plow, with which the fish seem to agitate the ground with the food-search. It is four types familiar, that live in cold and restrained seas of the southern hemisphere until in depths of 180 m. The Monkey or Elephantfish (Callorhynchus capensis, until 1 m long) is eaten gladly in South Africa.