Why are chimaeras sometimes called ratfish?
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chondrichthyan
Southern stingrays (Dasyatis americana or Hypanus americanus) are found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Chimaeras are members of the chondrichthyan class of fishes, which also includes sharks and rays. While they share a cartilaginous skeleton with these relatives, they are classified in the subclass Holocephali.1
The name ratfish is applied to some species of chimaera specifically because of their slender, tapering tails.1