#chain dogfish

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Daily fish fact #359

Chain catshark!

Also known as a chain dogfish or simply chain link shark! They're most recognisable for their chainlike patterns, which function as camouflage against the bottom of the sea where they typically rest during the day. Curiously, adults prefer rough rubble bottoms while juveniles seem to prefer smoother rubble!

[ceruleanthing]

Y’all ain’t movin, r u ok? Just restin I guess

[wanderbrack]

Chain catshark. I’m a bit embarrassed how relatively simple this turned out in the end. Maybe I should stick with tropical bony fish.

[exotic-aquatics]

Chain dogfish are members of the shark family that lay these awesome egg cases. If you ever wondered what they look like at various stages of development, then enjoy! One of the recently hatched pups swings in to check on the action, too. They were quite active and wiggly this morning!

[wildkingdom]

The chain dogfish is actually a catshark. 

[yaybiotic]

Chain Dogfish Scyliorhinus retifer

via Elasmodiver.com

[dailyelasmobranch]

Chain catshark (Chain dogfish) - Scyliorhinus retifer

Found in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Nicaragua, the chain catshark is common throughout its range but rarely encountered due to its usual depth, which is around 120-750 feet in the north and deeper than 1,500 feet in the south. Like most species in the Scyliorhinidae family it is a small species, with adult females growing no larger than 1.7 ft long. During the day it can be observed resting on the rocky bottom, often close to man-made objects such as cables. It is a bottom feeder with a diet consisting of squid, bony fish, polychaete worms, and crustaceans. In 2005 Dr. Mikhail Matz, a professor of marine biology at the University of Florida, was the first to identify and document the chain catshark's previously unknown fluorescent properties; it is still unclear what purpose this serves.