Pacific spookfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pacific spookfish |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rhinochimaera
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| Species: |
pacifica
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The Pacific spookfish is a unique deep-sea fish. Its scientific name is Rhinochimaera pacifica. People also call it the knifenose chimaera or Pinocchiofish. This fish belongs to a group called chimaeras. It lives deep in the Pacific Ocean. You can easily spot it because of its very long snout.
Contents
What Does the Pacific Spookfish Look Like?
The Pacific spookfish can grow quite long. It reaches about 130 centimeters (51 inches) in total length. Its body, not counting the tail, is around 62 centimeters (24 inches) long. Female spookfish are usually bigger than the males.
Its Unique Snout
This fish has a very long and thin snout. This snout can be half to almost all of its body length. It ends in a rounded tip, like a blunt nose. Inside its mouth, it has smooth tooth plates instead of sharp teeth.
Fins and Color
The Pacific spookfish has two dorsal fins on its back. One fin is short but tall. The other is longer but not as tall. Its tail fin is also long. It has small, rough bumps called denticles on the top part of its tail.
The top of the fish is brown. Its underside is a lighter grayish-brown. The snout is white. The edges of its fins are darker, from dark brown to purple. Spookfish found in the northwest Pacific are often darker than those in the southwest Pacific. Young spookfish are usually much paler than adults.
Where Does the Pacific Spookfish Live?
The Pacific spookfish lives in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean. You can find it in both the northwestern and southwestern parts. It lives very deep, usually between 760 and 1,290 meters (2,490 to 4,230 feet) below the surface.
Specific Locations
This fish is found near several countries. These include Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan. It also lives off the coast of Peru. It might even live in other deep areas of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Population and Threats
We don't know exactly how many Pacific spookfish there are. Sometimes, they get caught by accident in fishing nets. This is called bycatch. However, there are not many other known threats to this fish.
How Is the Pacific Spookfish Protected?
The Pacific spookfish is doing quite well in terms of its numbers. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed it as a "least concern" species. This means it is not currently at risk of disappearing.
New Zealand's View
In June 2018, New Zealand's Department of Conservation also looked at this fish. They classified it as "not threatened." They added a note that there isn't a lot of information about its population. This is why they called it "data poor."
