Australian ghost shark
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 Elephant Fish, Melbourne Aquarium
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| Callorhinchus milii Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1823 |
The Australian ghost shark or elephant fish (Callorhinchus milii) is a chimaera of the genus Callorhinchus, found off southern Australia, and south of East Cape and Kaipara Harbour in New Zealand, at depths of from a few metres to 200 metres. Their length is between 60 and 120 centimetres.
The Australian ghost shark has a distinctive lobed, trunk-like snout in front of the mouth, which explains one of its common names. This lobe is probably a sensory device for detecting prey animals buried in the sea bottom. The two dorsal fins are high and triangular and the first has a strong folding spine in front of it. The upper lobe of the tail is elongate and shark-like, with a short lower lobe that is immediately preceded by the pointed anal fin, almost appearing to be part of the tail.
The Australian ghost shark is an overall silver-gray colour with an overlay of brown markings on the body and fins. Outside the breeding season they live on the continental shelf up to 200 metres deep. During spring adults migrate inshore to estuaries and bays where mating takes place and the females lay their eggs. The large eggs are contained in yellow-brown capsules measuring 25 by 10 centimetres that are laid on sand or mud in water less than 40 metres deep. The young hatch 6 to 8 months later, taking about 5 years to reach maturity.
[edit] References
- Reardon et al (2003). Callorhinchus milii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Callorhinchus milii (TSN 564644). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 19 March 2006.
- "Callorhinchus milii". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
