Chimera: Their venom digests blood in the veins (5 photos)

The European chimera wasn't named after a mythical creature for nothing. It looks out of this world, as if someone took an ordinary fish and stuck parts left over from previous projects into it: huge eyes, fin-wings, and even poisonous spines!





Wow, I caught another creepy-ass thing! Mmmm... I love it!

However, the chimera actually found those parts quite useful. Their enormous eyes are ideal for living in the ocean's twilight zone—at depths of 300 to 1,000 meters. Where a human would see only impenetrable darkness, the big-eyed chimera can spot prey: crayfish, snails, and other bottom-dwelling creatures.



So, what a cutie swam up to us!

It glides toward them on its wing-like fins. These fins provide the chimera with decent speed, excellent maneuverability, and the ability to lie low on the bottom, protecting itself from predators from below and from the sides. And no one attacks it from above—no one's stupid!





When I went to work at 7 a.m. in the middle of winter.

The chimera's dorsal and caudal fins contain sharp, hollow spines filled with venom, which is released when pressure is applied. This venom has the curious ability to digest blood right in the veins. It's only moderately dangerous to humans, but it can knock out animals weighing up to 10 kilograms. That's four times the maximum weight of the chimera itself!



The largest spine is visible at the base of the dorsal fin.

The chimera also has hidden abilities. For example, excellent cold resistance. Although most often caught in the Mediterranean Sea and off the coast of North Africa, it inhabits the entire coast of Europe, as far as Murmansk, where it is occasionally caught by night fishermen and in the nets of fishing vessels. It is even said to be edible, although the taste is an acquired taste. Just remember to remove the fins before cooking!



A young chimera caught off the coast of Murmansk.

In fact, it's a fairly close relative of sharks and rays, although people aren't usually familiar with this type of cartilaginous fish. Yes, like sharks and rays, chimeras have a skeleton made entirely of cartilage.