Today, the abundance of seafood products is so great that it is quite difficult to surprise their connoisseurs.

However, only recently has a mysterious fish, popularly called a sea hare, appeared on the wider market. Fans of culinary experiments will probably be interested in what kind of amazing creature this is and how it should be eaten.

What it looks like and where it is found

The true name of this fish sounds ominous - European chimera (Chimaera monstrosa). It belongs to chimera-like cartilaginous fish and is found in the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, and is also found in the Barents Sea.

Did you know? The sea hare does not have a swim bladder, like a shark, so it is forced to constantly move to stay afloat.

Externally this sea ​​dweller does not look very attractive; his character traits- a large triangular head, a massive jaw and a long thread-like tail. This fish is called a hare because of some external similarity of its muzzle with a hare.

Some seafood sellers call it a sea rabbit, but this is erroneous, since the sea rabbit is a separate representative of the underwater kingdom, which is a mollusk.

Calorie content and chemical composition

Marine chimera meat is a low-calorie dietary food:

• the calorie content of 100 grams of sea hare fillet is only 116 kcal;
• the meat contains essential omega-3 fatty acids;
• Chimera fillet is rich in vitamins A, E and D.

Beneficial features

Like any seafood, the European chimera has a lot of useful properties:

• first and most importantly, sea hare fillet is an ideal source of easily digestible protein, which is especially valuable for athletes and people involved in physical labor;
• the presence of fatty acids in meat has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, hair, nails, internal organs, in particular the liver, regulates cholesterol levels in the blood;

  Important! Few people know that the European chimera has a poisonous upper fin, so when cutting up a carcass you need to be extremely careful, trying not to touch it and get hurt.

• vitamins A, E, D, present in the fillet of this fish, are useful for exhaustion and hypervitaminosis.

Contraindications and harm

Of course, like any other product, sea hare meat is not healthy for everyone and not always:

• First of all, you need to take into account that this fish most often feeds at the bottom of the reservoir - accordingly, it is possible that it ate carrion and toxic products;
• like most seafood, chimera is a highly allergenic food, so it is best avoided by allergy sufferers, children under 3 years of age and pregnant women.

How to cook in the oven

The sea hare is an infrequent guest on the shelves of shops and markets; more often it can be found in restaurants as an exquisite delicacy. Indeed, preparing a chimera without certain experience and secrets may end in failure.

Its meat is quite tough, but at the same time juicy; when cooked correctly, it has a faint fishy taste and a dense consistency. If the fish was not fresh or the fins were damaged when cutting the carcass, the finished fillet will taste bitter.
To avoid this, you need to buy seafood only in trusted places equipped with refrigerators. A fresh chimera should have clear eyes and red gills. There are quite a few recipes for preparing sea hare, but it must be taken into account that simply frying it in oil is not practical due to the specific nature of the meat.

You can best appreciate the taste of fish by baking it in the oven under various marinades and sauces that add juiciness and piquancy. Sea hare fillet turns out very tasty if you bake it under a double coat.

For this you will need:

• fish (1–2 medium carcasses);
• ground black pepper;
• spice mix for fish;
• greenery ;
• salted cucumbers(3–4 pieces of medium size);
• (3-4 cloves);
• (1 PC.);
• (approximately 300 g);
• (1 glass);
• (2 tablespoons);
• fresh champignons (about 200 g);

Chimera fish

The deep waters of mysterious oceans inhabit mysterious creatures. 400 million years ago, an unusual underwater inhabitant appeared - the chimera fish.

This creature is sometimes called a ghost shark. And this fish received the name chimera for its appearance. The point is that in Greek mythology There was a legend about a monstrous woman whose entire body was formed from parts of various animals. Seeing a fish with a strange appearance, the ancient Greeks decided that its body was not at all like an ordinary fish - but as if it was also made up of animal parts. That is why the chimera fish got its name.

Chimera deep sea fish

This fish belongs to the cartilaginous fish, represents the order Chimera, family Chimaera.

Among the class of cartilaginous fish, chimeras were the very first to appear on our planet. They are considered distant relatives of sharks. Today, scientists have counted about 50 species of these unusual fish on our planet.

Appearance of chimera fish

Body length adult reaches 1.5 meters. The skin of these fish is smooth, with multi-colored tints. In males, between the eyes on the head there is a bone growth (spike) that has a curved shape.

The tail of these fish is very long, reaching a size equal to half the length of the entire body. A distinctive feature of the appearance of these representatives of the chimaera family can be called large wing-shaped lateral fins. By straightening them, the chimera becomes somewhat similar to a bird.

CHIMERA, OR WHOLE-HEADED, FISH (HOLOCEPHALI)

A brief description of. The soft, leathery operculum overlaps the gill slits; there are no splashes; cartilaginous skeleton; In adults, the skin is almost bare. The skull is autostylic in the nature of its articulation with the lower jaw. The upper jaw fuses and merges with the skull. The fins are built like those of sharks: the first dorsal fin bears a thick anterior spine. The tail of some is unequally lobed, while in other forms (such as Hariotta) the tail lobes are almost equal, but the upper one is elongated into a long thin thread. The intestine has a spiral valve; equipped with an arterial cone. The swim bladder is missing.

External structure of chimaeras

The general body shape of true chimeras is similar to that of the body; The head compressed from the sides and the small mouth surrounded by lip-like folds attract attention.

The shape of the head varies greatly among representatives of different families: for example, in Chimaeridae the snout is blunt, in the family. Callorhynchidae, it is elongated and bears an original leathery protrusion hanging downwards, located at the end of the nose; finally, in the family Rhinochimeridae (p. Harriott a) the head is elongated and pointed in front.

Rice. Chimera (Chimaera monstrosa).

As noted, chimeras have only one external gill opening. This is due to the presence of a gill cover (operculum), extending from the hyoid arch and covering the real gill slits, which open into a single common chamber under the gill cover and are connected to the external environment through a secondary gill opening located in front of the shoulder girdle.

Rice. 2 .

1 - nasal capsule; 2-cartilaginous appendage; 3 - erectile appendage; 4 - opening for the exit of the ophthalmic nerves ny branches from the orbit; 5 -holes for entering the orbitorbital branch nerve V pair; 6 - auditory capsule; 7 - interorbital septum; 8 - Meckel's cartilage; 9 - teeth; 10 tooth cartilage; II, III, V, VII, IX and X foramina for the exit of cranial nerves.

Unpaired fins are represented by two dorsal fins, a small anal fin and a caudal fin. The shape of the heterocercal caudal fin is different in representatives of the three chimaera families. In young Callorhynchus, the fin rays are arranged symmetrically, forming a diphycercal fin.

U the male chimera is located somewhat in front of the ventral fins burnzontal fissure leading into a shallow glandular sac,from where an unpaired organ of unknown purpose can protrude into the formplate covered with spikes. In addition, the male has cartilaginousappendages (pterygopodia) used for copulation.

The cloaca is absent and the urogenital opening lies separately and behind the anus.

The chimera has a small frontal tentacle supported by thin cartilage.

Rice. 3. A-genitourinary organs of the male Callorhynchus (from the ventral side); the left testis is removed, the seminal sac on the same side is retracted; IN-incision through the anterior end of the seminal sac.

1-epididimis (testicular appendage); 2 - kidney; 3 - oviduct; 4 - opening of the oviduct into the body cavity; 5-opening of the oviduct into the cloaca area; 6 - anterior (genital) section of the kidney; 7-testis; 8 - seed sac; 9 - opening of the seminal sac into the urogenital sinus; 10-spermatophores.

The lateral line looks like an open furrow. It gives characteristic bends on the sides of the head; along the body the lateral line sometimes pokes in a straight linechannel, and in some species along a convoluted channel.

The spinal column is composed of a permanent chord with cartilaginous arches.

In chimeras, the shell of the notochord has rings impregnated with lime.

The skull (Fig. 2) is strongly compressed in the area in front of the large eye sockets. In the chimera, the eye sockets lie above the level of the cranial cavity and are divided between

a vertical partition made of fibrous tissue (Fig. 2, 7). The palatoquadrate cartilage is so small that it is completely invisible at first glance. It is represented by a triangular plate located on each side of the skull. This plate is directed downward and outward and bears an articular surface with the lower jaw. The palatoquadrate cartilage fuses with the skull and forms the only support for the lower jaw (autostylous connection). Occipital region,characteristically, it articulates with the spine with a single saddle-shaped surface (unlike sharks). The labial cartilages are very developed (Fig. 2). At p. The Callorhynchue snout is supported by three cartilaginous rods projecting from the nasal part of the skull; one of them represents the main basis for the snout itself, or rostrum.

The hyoid arch is similar to the gills, but is somewhat larger. The anterior dorsal fin is different in that all its pterygiophores are fused into one plate. The remaining fins, as well as the shoulder girdle, are built according to the type characteristic of real shark fish. The right and left halves of the pelvic pox are separated from each other and are connected along the midline only by a ligament.

Digestive organs of chimeras

The structure of the teeth is extremely characteristic. They look like thickened plates with an irregular surface and a sharp cutting edge. In the upper jaw there is only one pair of small vomer teeth, and behind them a pair of large palatine teeth; in the lower jaw there is only one pair of maxillary teeth. These teeth are composed of vasodentine and each bear a rounded prominence (tritor) of very hard white.

The stomach is almost not separated, and the intestines stretch in a straight line from the esophagus to the anus. The intestine has a well-developed spiral valve.

Organschimera breathing

Chimeras have three pairs of complete gills and two semi-gills (hemibranchia): one on the posterior side of the hyoid, the other on the anterior section of the IV branchial arch. V gill arch

Brain structure. In the structure of the brain, attention is drawn to the elongated shape of the olfactory lobes, which look like thin-boned tubes (pedunculus olfactorius), ending in flattened and bluntly rounded olfactory lobes. The fusiform hemispheres are small. The ventricle of the extremely elongated diencephalon and part of the ventricles of the forebrain are open from above and in the intact brain are covered by a large conical-tent with a vascular plexus (plexus chorioideus). The optic lobes of the midbrain are small; large, has a rounded elongated shape. The medulla oblongata forms lobes strongly projecting into the sides (corpora restiformia). The pineal gland looks like a small round vesicle on a hollow stem; consists of two lobes: cranial and extracranial. The optic nerves form a chiasm.

Genitourinary organs of chimeras

The buds (Fig. 3, A) have the appearance of lobed dark red bodies, bluntly rounded in front. The female genital organs are characterized by the enormous size of the shell glands and the uterine sections of the oviducts. The male organs are arranged in an extremely unique way. Large oval testes contain not fully mature seeds. These immature seminal cells enter through the efferent tubules into the appendages of the testes (epididymis; Fig. 3,1) where they are collected into spermatophores in the form of oval capsules, each of which is surrounded by a durable membrane. The lower end of the vas deferens is expanded into a cylindrical seed sac (Fig. 3, 8), divided by transverse partitions into a number of sequential chambers. The phora's sperm enters these chambers and passes into the urogenital sinus. Characteristically, the male has fairly well-developed homologues of the oviducts in the form of thin tubes that open into the urogenital sinus. The chimera has internal; reproduction occurs in different times of the year.

Each of the spies contains up to 100 eggs, but only one of them develops (for each ovary). Before laying elongated egg capsules, protected by thin corneas, the female carries them for some time attached to the excretory openings of the oviducts. Both capsules are deposited simultaneously. The capsule length reaches 150-170 mm. The smallest hatched fry are up to 108 mm long,

Rice. 4. Callorhynchus antarcticus eggshell opened to reveal embryo inside

1-external gills; 2 -valve, the worm from which the fish comes out;3-yolk sac.

At p. Callorhynohue's egg capule (Fig. 4) is larger than that of chimeras (up to 250 mm in length). Inside the capsule is an elongated chamber where the embryo is located. On the outside, the capsule is covered with thin yellowish hair-like appendages, giving the egg capsule an external resemblance to seaweed(protective device).

Systematics and ecology of whole-headed chimaeras

The fish described are divided into three families. The first of them - true chimeras (Chimaeridae) - belongs to the chimera (Fig.), or water cat (Chimaera monstroea), up to 1 m long, whose elongated fusiform body ends with a tail extended into a terminal cord. It is a deep-sea fish (a fish found ondepths up to 1000 m. At such depths, the chimera stays in summer time, in winter it comes across more high layers water, at a depth of 90-180 m. It feeds on deep-sea mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans and small fish. Only one egg develops in each ovary at a time. Occasionally found in the western part of Murman (Varanger Fiord), off the coast of Norway, in the German Sea, off the coast of England and in the Bay of Biscay.

By seven. Callorhynchidae belongs to the peculiar Callorhynchus antarcticus, characterized by a skin appendage on the snout, probably a tactile organ when searching for bottom food. Egg capsule up to 250 mm long. Found in Antarctic seas.

By seven. Rhinochiraaeridae includes the North Atlantic Harriotta releighana, also found off the coast of Japan and found at a depth of 1,200 m; characterized by a long, narrowly elongated snout.

Chimera commercial value do not have and are not used as food.

Article on the topic Chimera fish

What different and unusual fish exist in nature, and what names have not been invented for them! For example, the chimera fish: the very name of this animal evokes not the most pleasant associations. And if you look at this inhabitant depths of the sea, then opinions may be divided. Some see a very cute and cute fish that looks like a soaring bird, while others see a monster. So who is she really, this mysterious sea resident, who is also called strange name- fish sea ​​hare.

Very close relatives of the chimera are and: they are all cartilaginous fish and have a backbone made of cartilaginous tissue. Look at the photo of the chimera fish and try to find common features with sharks!

All the most interesting things about chimeras

When the name chimera is mentioned, it does not mean that there is only one single species. The genus Chimaera (lat. Chimaera) unites 6 species, of which the most famous is the European chimera (lat. Chimaera monstrosa) from the eastern Atlantic. There is a Cuban chimera (Chimaera cubana), which was initially mistaken for a European one, but was later identified as an independent species. It lives off the coast of Cuba at a depth of 400-500 meters. Other species of the genus Chimera are known from the waters eastern regions Pacific Ocean(Philippine Islands, Yellow Sea and Japanese Islands).

Place of chimeras in the fish system

The genus Chimera, of which the European chimera is a representative, is included in the family Chimaeridae, in which there is another genus with species that differ from the genus Chimera in the shape of the caudal fin.

All fish of the Chimaera family have a blunt snout. This is an important difference from other families of the Chimaeriformes order, including the family. Nosed chimeras with a very elongated snout and a pointed one at the end. And the third family is the proboscis-snouted chimeras (Callorhynchaceae). They are distinguished by the elongated and bent down and back of the front end of the snout.

Below, in the photo, chimera fish are depicted in drawings, and you can see the differences in the structure of the snout in representatives of each family, which were mentioned above.

Representatives of the order Chimera: 1 - fam. Chimaeras; 2 - sem. Proboscis snouts (Callorhynchaceae) and fam. Nosed chimeras.

As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, the chimera fish is cartilaginous, and accordingly, belongs to the class “Cartilaginous fish,” which has two subclasses. Having a lot in common in the internal and external structure with elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), chimeras differ from them in that their upper jaw is completely fused with the skull. Therefore, they are classified into the subclass Whole-headed or Joint-skulled.

Appearance of chimaeras

All chimaeras have a characteristic body shape: valval, slightly compressed laterally and very thin towards the tail. This is clearly visible in the photo of the sea hare fish (European chimera).

Other Features appearance representatives of chimaeras:

• There are two fins on the back, the first is tall and short, having a powerful spike in front, which together with it, if necessary, fits into a special groove in the back. The second is long and can stretch all the way to the base of the caudal fin and does not fold.
• The caudal fin is often shaped like a long cord.
• The pectoral fins are very well developed and each of them is shaped like a fan.
• The pelvic fins are smaller than the pectoral fins and are located next to the anus, being pushed back.
• At the base, all paired fins are equipped with fleshy blades, thin and flexible.
• The lower mouth (lower) of chimeras has a characteristic three-lobed upper lip.
• The gill openings located on the sides of the head are covered by a fold of skin supported by finger-like cartilages.
• The naked body, devoid of placoid scales, is covered with a large amount of mucus.

Spine in the first dorsal fin of a European chimera.

European chimeras - beauties or beasts?

European chimera wears Latin name Chimaera monstrosa, which evokes associations with some kind of monster. This fish has many names, one of the names that the chimera fish bears is the hare. This may be due to the large, slightly elongated pectoral fins and huge eyes. It is also called sea rabbit fish, apparently for the same reasons.

And among the Norwegians, the chimera is a royal fish. It is called so because of the thin bony growth curved backwards, which is located between the eyes of males.

A stylized image of a male chimera with a bony growth between its eyes.

The body length of the European chimera can be up to one or one and a half meters, and its tail is very long and thin, so another name has been assigned to it - the sea rat.

What color is the chimera?

Rudimentary spines are sometimes found on the bare skin of the European chimera. However, the skin looks smooth and soft and has a characteristic color:

• the back is in dark brown and golden shades in combination with brown and whitish, a dark brown stripe stretches along the upper part of the back;
• the ventral side of the body is light;
• a blackish-brown edging is noticeable on the back of the long dorsal fin, as well as on the caudal and anal fins.

Completes the color image of the chimera green color the pupil against the background of the white iris of her huge eyes.

European chimera, photo by Roman Fedortsov, Murmansk, @rfedortsov_official_account

Distribution, lifestyle and movement

The European chimera fish is not found in tropical waters. Its range is the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean:

• In northern waters - from the Strait of Gibraltar (coastal waters of Morocco) to the island of Iceland and the Scandinavian Peninsula, entering the Barents Sea.
• Southern waters - near the coast of southern Africa (this information requires confirmation).

The sea hare fish spends most of its life at the bottom, so ichthyologists classify it as a bathydimersal (bottom deep-sea) fish. After all, the depth at which it can be found is from 40 to 1400 meters. But most often this species lives at relatively shallow depths: two hundred to five hundred meters (in the northernmost part of its range) and three hundred and fifty to seven hundred meters (in the waters off the coast of Morocco). By winter it comes to coastal waters, where off the coast of Norway (where the depth is from 90 to 180 meters) a number of individuals can be caught by trawls.

These fish are quite gentle and do not resist at all when caught. Once removed from the water, they die very quickly. Placed in an aquarium, they do not survive well.

Way to travel

The chimera or sea rabbit fish is not a fast and high-speed swimmer, and it does not need it. See how gracefully it moves with the eel-like curve of its rear body and tail and the undulating wing-like movements of its large pectoral fins. The pelvic fins are also involved in ensuring the swimming of the fish; they are located horizontally and act as movement stabilizers.

Being at the bottom, chimeras can “stand” on the ground, resting on almost all of their fins: the pectoral and pelvic fins serve as four limbs, and the tail serves as additional support.

Nutrition issue

This part of the article is devoted to two questions:

• what does sea rabbit fish eat?
• Is it possible to eat chimera fish, that is, sea rabbit?

The diet of chimeras consists mainly of benthic invertebrates. Among them are mollusks, crustaceans (mainly crabs), echinoderms ( sea ​​urchins, brittle stars). Small fish only sometimes they were found in their stomachs. When examining the contents of the chimeras' digestive tract, it was discovered that they do not swallow food whole, but bite off small pieces of prey or crush it with strong dental plates.

Do people eat chimeras?

So, is it possible to eat chimera fish? There is no definitive answer to this question. Fishing for chimaeras is carried out off the Pacific coast of the United States; they are caught in Chile and Argentina, as well as in the waters of New Zealand and China. The volume of production is especially large in New Zealand, where representatives of the family Callorhynchidae (proboscis-snouted chimeras) are caught.

Only fresh callorhynchus meat, which has excellent taste qualities. However, if it sits for even a little bit, it begins to exude bad smell ammonia. For housewives, the chimera cartilaginous fish, which has no scales or hard bones, is, of course, very convenient to prepare.

Fat is extracted from the liver of chimeras, which has long been known as an excellent wound healing agent.

The current trend towards increasing the volume of production of the European chimera using deep-sea trawling for the purpose of production medicines from the liver oil of this fish led to the inclusion of this species in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. The chimera hare fish has protective status, as a species close to vulnerable.

The deep waters of the mysterious oceans are inhabited by mysterious creatures. 400 million years ago, an unusual underwater inhabitant appeared - the chimera fish.

This creature is sometimes called a ghost shark. And this fish received the name chimera for its appearance. The fact is that in Greek mythology there was a legend about a monstrous woman, whose entire body was formed from parts of various animals. Seeing a fish with a strange appearance, the ancient Greeks decided that its body was not at all like an ordinary fish - but as if it was also made up of animal parts. That is why the chimera fish got its name.

This fish belongs to the cartilaginous fish, represents the order Chimera, family Chimaera.

Among the class of cartilaginous fish, chimeras were the very first to appear on our planet. They are considered distant relatives. Today, scientists have counted about 50 species of these unusual fish on our planet.

Appearance of chimera fish

The body length of an adult reaches 1.5 meters. The skin of these fish is smooth, with multi-colored tints. In males, between the eyes on the head there is a bone growth (spike) that has a curved shape.

The tail of these fish is very long, reaching a size equal to half the length of the entire body. A distinctive feature of the appearance of these representatives of the chimaera family can be called large wing-shaped lateral fins. By straightening them, the chimera becomes somewhat similar to a bird.

The colors of these fish are very diverse, but the predominant colors are light gray and black with frequent and large white patches throughout the surface. In the front part of the body, near the dorsal fin, chimeras have poisonous outgrowths; they are very strong and sharp. The animal uses them for its own protection.

Where does the “ghost shark” live?

Representatives of chimera fish can be found in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean - from Norway to Iceland, from Mediterranean Sea to the southern coast of the African continent. In addition, these creatures live in the Barents Sea.

Behavior in nature

These fish are inhabitants of deep waters. They can be found at depths of over 2.5 kilometers. They lead a rather secretive lifestyle. That is why scientists still cannot study these creatures in detail.

It is only known that these fish hunt in the dark, by touch. Used to attract prey special devices oral apparatus– photophores. These “devices” emit a glow, and the victim itself floats towards the light, right into the mouth of the chimera.

What constitutes the basis of the diet of deep-sea chimera fish?

These cartilaginous fish feed mainly on mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans. They can eat other fish that live at the same depths as the chimeras themselves. To eat armored and echinoderm animals that have sharp spines on their bodies, the chimera has sharp teeth that have decent strength and a strong grip.

How do chimeras breed their offspring?

These fish are dioecious creatures. After females mate with males, females lay eggs, which are placed in a special hard capsule.

The reproduction process, just like the lifestyle of these fish, is currently poorly studied by scientists.

Natural enemies of chimeras

Due to their deep-sea lifestyle, chimera fish have virtually no enemies. But there is one caveat: young individuals of these fish are often eaten by their own relatives, only older in age. That's what they are, these underwater predators!