Pacific or Spotted Ratfish - Hydrolagus colliei

Pacific ratfish, also know as spotted ratfish, are a small fish related to sharks. They live off the west coast of North America. A unique thing about these fish is that females produce only two eggs at a time, packaged in capsules that resemble tiny violin-cases. This is pretty unique among most fish but is actually consistant with the reproductive traits of most sharks and rays.

Pacific (spotted) ratfish feed on mollusks, crustaceans, fish, echinoderms, and worms as they cruise just off of the bottom of the ocean floor.

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