Chain catshark
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| Scyliorhinus retifer (Garman, 1881) |
The chain catshark, Scyliorhinus retifer, also called the chain dogfish, is a spotted catshark whose spots fluoresce under blue light.
Mikhail Matz, a professor of marine biology at the University of Florida, was the first to document the shark's previously-unknown fluorescent properties. A specimen that proved to be a chain catshark was filmed by Matz off the Gulf of Mexico in August 2005, a few days before Hurricane Katrina blew through.
[edit] Trivia
The fictional jaguar shark from the 2004 Bill Murray film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is similar in appearance, being capable of bioluminescence, though the chain catshark was discovered after the film was released.
[edit] References
- Sherrill-Mix et al (2005). Scyliorhinus retifer. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Scyliorhinus retifer (TSN 160060). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 30 January 2006.
- "Scyliorhinus retifer". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. Nov 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
[edit] External links
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