Canadian fishermen were surprised to discover a strange fish in their nets: a bird’s beak, two large round eyes, wing-like fins and a backbone laden with venom.
In their nets, a fisherman and his friends hauled in mid-August off the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador a fish they had never seen before.
The man took a few photos and posted one on Facebook to see if anyone could identify the creature. It turned out to be a long-nosed chimera that lives in the depths of the ocean.
“We didn’t know he had a backbone with venom. For us, it was just a fish and we handled it with our bare hands! ”He continues.
Marine biologist Carolyn Miri later explained to the Channel that long-nosed chimeras are closely related to sharks and rays and are indeed cartilaginous fish .
They evolve at a depth ranging from 200 to 1,000 meters, but can descend to 3,000.
The scientist recalls that “chimera” is a Greek word meaning mythical monster, a qualifier which perfectly matches the appearance of the fish in question.
“He has a long, pointed muzzle. Its shiny green eyes give it that surreal effect and make you think of a monster,” she emphasizes.
According to her, the fish died on rising to the surface, because like many species of the same genus, it cannot survive the change in pressure.
