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Echinochimaera snyderi belongs to the peculiar looking chimaeras (also called sea cats, ratfish or ghost sharks). Chimaeras possess two dorsal fins; the first dorsal fin is supported by a movable spine associated with a venom gland. Recent sea cats live in all oceans of the world, preferably at depths between 200 and 2000m. This juvenile specimen of Echinochimaera snyderi is most likely a female; adult males are slightly smaller and have a more curved dorsal spine. References: R. Lund. 1988. New Mississippian Holocephali (Chondrichthyes) and the evolution of the Holoceephali. In Teeth Revisited: Proceedings of the VII Int. Symp. on Dental Morph., Paris, May 1986, Russel, D.E., Santoro, J.P. and Sigogneau-Russel, D., Eds., Mem. Mus. Natn. Hist. Nat., Paris, (serie C) 53:195-205 R. Lund and E. Grogan. 2004. Five new euchondrocephalan Chondrichthyes from the Bear Gulch Limestone (Serpukhovian, Namurian E2b) of Montana, USA. In G. Arratia, M. Wilson, R. Cloutier (eds.), Recent Advances in the Origin and Early Radiation of Vertebrates 505-531

A modern Ratfish, Bischoff Island, British Columbia, Canada (from Wikipedia: Clark Anderson/Aquaimages) Lit.: Grogan, E. Lund, R. 2002: The geological and biological environment of the Bear Gulch Limestone (Mississippian of Montana, USA) and a model for its deposition. Geodiversitas 2002, 24 (2): 296-315 Lund, R. 1977 - Echinochimaera meltoni new genus and species (Chimaeriformes), from the Mississippian of Montana. Annals of Carnegie Museum, 46 (13): 195-221. Hagadorn, J.: Bear Gulch: An exceptional Upper Carboniferous Plattenkalk