Often seen by divers at night in the Pacific Northwest, this cartilaginous fish gets its characteristic name from a pointed rat-like tail.

The ratfish lays leathery egg cases on the bottom of muddy or sandy areas, which are often mistaken by divers as something inanimate.

These fish have a smooth and scaleless skin that is a silvery-bronze color, often with sparkling shades of gold, blue, and green.

Their pectoral fins are large and triangular, and extend straight out from the sides of their bodies like airplane wings.

Like many bony fishes, but unlike its sister group, the Elasmobranchii, the upper jaw of the chimaera is fused with the skull.

[3] Spotted ratfish typically live closer to the shore in the northern part of their range than in the southern, but it is also found as shallow as 30 m (98 ft) off California.

Unlike most of its relatives, which are entirely restricted to deep waters, the spotted ratfish has been held in public aquaria.

During this time, the female releases up to two fertilized eggs into sand or mud areas of the seabed every 10–14 days.

The egg sack is leather-like, 12.7 cm (5.0 in) long, and has a filament connected to it which is used to attach it to the ocean floor when it is let go by the mother.

For the male to stay attached during courtship, the clasper has been observed to clamp down on the pectoral fin of the female.

The significantly smaller body size of males, which is a sexually dimorphic characteristic, may be a contributing factor to this mating behavior.

However, if they feel their territory has been invaded, they are able to inflict a mildly toxic wound with their dorsal fin spines.