Скачать или смотреть Year of the Rat(tail) | Creatures of the Deep: Mini Bites

Originally released on our social channels for Lunar New Year, we decided to keep the celebration of the Year of the Rat going all year round. In addition to their resemblance in name and appearance, the rattail fish (grenadier) and the ratfish (chimaera) live in the perpetual darkness of the ocean's "midnight zone" (2000 - 4000 m), not unlike the terrestrial rodent's association with the midnight hours.⁣⁣
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In Chinese culture the rat is seen as a sign of surplus, which relates to rattail fish who are known as one of the most abundant fish in the deep sea. Their large heads, eyes and mouths help them survive in the dark, and their slender bodies taper to a rat-like tail, hence their name. ⁣⁣
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Just like their namesake, ratfish are known to hunt at night by using their keen sense of smell to find prey. Relatives of the shark, these cartilaginous fish love crunchy snacks—crabs and clams are some of their favourite prey. With enthralling reflective emerald eyes and a mesmerizing way of moving through water, these fish have an otherworldly look, which has also earned them the nickname of ‘ghost sharks’.⁣
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Here’s to The Year of the Rat! Happy Lunar New Year!⁣
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(With footage from 2018’s Northeast Pacific Seamount Expedition Partners and Ocean Exploration Trust)⁣ #PacificSeamounts2018

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