Sea cat
| Sea cat | ||||||||||||
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Sea cat ( Chimaera monstrosa ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chimaera monstrous pink | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The sea cat ( Chimaera monstrosa ) is a species from the family of short-nosed sea cats (Chimaeridae). It was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné . Its scientific name is derived from the Chimaira from Greek mythology , a being composed of different body parts of the lion, goat and snake. The eyes, which are reminiscent of a cat, the rodent-like teeth and the long dragon-like tail inspired Linnaeus to use this name.
features
The maximum length of the sea cat, including the mostly incomplete tail thread, is 1.5 meters and a maximum weight of 2.5 kg. A spine preceding the dorsal fin is sharp and slightly poisonous. It can cause painful wounds. There is a frontal process on the forehead of the male, which is believed to be used to hold the female in place while mating.
distribution
The sea cat is found in the northeastern Atlantic , from Norway and Iceland to Morocco , the Azores and Madeira . It can also be found in the Skagerrak , Kattegat and the Mediterranean , but it is rare there in the eastern part. Reports of occurrences on the coast of South Africa and near Japan are questionable.
Way of life
Sea cats live, mostly in small groups, at depths of 40 to 1000 meters, mostly between 300 and 500 meters above the upper areas of the continental slopes . Populations in the south stay mainly in deeper water, those in the north migrate up to depths of 40 to 100 meters in summer. They feed primarily on bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as crustaceans , molluscs , echinoderms and small fish. Sea cats lay spindle-shaped egg capsules that are 16 to 18 inches long and 3 inches wide. At the pointed end of the egg capsule there is a three to four centimeter long thread that is used to anchor it to the ground. The young are ten to eleven centimeters long when they hatch and already resemble the adult animals.
literature
- Bent J. Muus, Jørgen G. Nielsen: The marine fish of Europe in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Atlantic. Kosmos, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-440-07804-3 .
Web links
- Seekatze on Fishbase.org (English)
- Chimaera monstrosa inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Dagit, DD, Hareide, N. & Clò, S., 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2013.