New Species of Deep-Sea Chimaera Discovered off the Coast of Thailand

A new species of deep-sea chimaera with a ghoulish appearance, Chimaera supapae, has been discovered in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand. This elusive deep-sea creature has a massive head, giant, iridescent eyes and feathery fins. Chimaera supapae is a cartilaginous fish in the order of the oldest fishes alive today, Chimaeriformes, and is a distant relative of sharks and rays. The discovery brings the total known species of chimaera to 54 and these ghostly figures are found at depths below 1,640 feet (500 meters) in the dark waters of the deep-sea, where they feed on bottom-dwelling animals such as crustaceans, mollusks and worms.