Chimaera
| Chimaeras Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Hydrolagus colliei (Chimaeridae) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Holocephali |
| Order: | Chimaeriformes Obruchev, 1953 |
| Subgroups | |
| |
Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes (/kɪˈmɛrɪfɔːrmiːz/), known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish (not to be confused with rattails), spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last two names are also applied to Opisthoproctidae and Siganidae, respectively.
At one time a "diverse and abundant" group (based on the fossil record), their closest living relatives are sharks and rays, though their last common ancestor with them lived nearly 400 million years ago. Living species (aside from plough-nose chimaeras) are largely confined to deep water.