Habitat of the Ratfish
Eastern Pacific Ocean from the panhandle of Alaska south to Baja, California. Concentrated between British Columbia and southern California. Ratfish are found near the sea floor where there are mud and rocky bottoms at depths of intertidal to 900 m (2970 ft). Preferring water temperatures of 7-9 Co (45 to 48 o F), as the distribution moves southward into warmer water, these fish descend to progressively deeper depths where the water is colder. They tend to move closer to shallow water during the spring and autumn, then to deeper water in summer and winter.
The picture above is the distribution of Ratfish (labeled in purple)
Ratfish Classification: Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Chimaeriformes
Family: Chimaeridae
Description of the Ratfish
These fish have smooth skin, large green eyes, a rabbit-like face and a mouth with plate-like grinding teeth. The tail is tiny and streamer-like, so for propulsion they flap their large, wing-like pectoral fins. Ratfish cruise just above the seafloor searching for crunchy food like crabs and clams.
Prey and Predators
I am unable to get a food web or food chain so I will just name their prey and predators
Prey: Shrimp, clams, worms, sea stars, mollusks and fish. Uses tooth plates to crush hard-bodied prey such as crabs, clams, and echinoderms
Predators: Predators of the spotted ratfish include sixgill sharks, sevengill sharks, tope sharks, spiny dogfish, giant sea bass, lingcod, rockfish, Pacific halibut, and marine mammals.
Prey: Shrimp, clams, worms, sea stars, mollusks and fish. Uses tooth plates to crush hard-bodied prey such as crabs, clams, and echinoderms
Predators: Predators of the spotted ratfish include sixgill sharks, sevengill sharks, tope sharks, spiny dogfish, giant sea bass, lingcod, rockfish, Pacific halibut, and marine mammals.