Spotted ratfish
Amazing fact
Male spotted ratfish use a hook on the head to grasp a female’s pectoral fin during mating.
葛西臨海水族園
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Male spotted ratfish use a hook on the head to grasp a female’s pectoral fin during mating.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Spotted ratfish
- Scientific name
- Hydrolagus colliei
- Japanese name
- スポッテッドラットフィッシュ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Holocephali
- Order
- Chimaeriformes
- Family
- Chimaeridae
- Genus
- Hydrolagus
A member of the chimaera (ratfish) family that usually lives in the deep sea. It sometimes comes up to depths where divers swim.
Its English name means “spotted rat-like fish,” from the white spots on its body and its large front teeth and mouth, which look like a rat's.
It lays large eggs in cases that look like dead leaves. The female swims with the eggs hanging from her belly for a while, then buries them in the sand.
How the Spotted ratfish lives
It eats shellfish, shrimp, crabs and small fish. The young emerge from the sand after hatching.
葛西臨海水族園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 90 cm
- Diet
- Shellfish, shrimp, crabs, small fish, and other foods
- Range
- Eastern Pacific coast from Alaska to southern California
Where the Spotted ratfish has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 简体中文
- 斑点鼠鱼
- 繁體中文
- 斑點鼠魚
- Español
- Quimera manchada
- Français
- Chimère tachetée
- Deutsch
- Gefleckte Seeratte
- Português (Brasil)
- Quimera-americana
- Italiano
- Chimaera elefante
- Русский
- Американский гидролаг
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — スポッテッドラットフィッシュChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Spotted ratfish, look for this
- Look for an oval white marking on a male’s head.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Spotted ratfish
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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