What the Hell is Echinochimaera?!

[@markalton2809]

I was admiring the shirt.

[@CanalTremocos]

"I'm somewhat of a Scorpions fan myself".

[@Elbowbanditest2003]

I need that but a t-shirt as I can't rock a regular shirt well, it suits my face too much and I look like a nerdy Buddy Holly.

[@evangeloevoxi]

So many of the creatures in this video look like some type of RPG monsters I want to be friends with haha

[@J_A_R_]

This lil lad couldn’t harm a fly it’s so adorable

[@cameronwilsey9334]

They didn't exist yet after all

[@misterx168]

Ezekiel?

[@apocalypticmoth6040]

Fascinating! I think it’s also likely that the reason why modern chimeras are only found in the deep sea as opposed to their much more diverse ancestors is because of how deep ocean environments are much less impacted by extinction events than shallower waters. For example, the ancestors of chimeras filled a massive range of niches and environments. This most certainly involved at least one lineage adapting for life in the deep sea. We don’t see much of this transition because of preservation bias in two ways. Cartilagenous fish don’t fossilize nearly as well as fish with fully ossified bones and fossils from deep sea environments are nearly nonexistent. In the shallows, if an ecosystem is over a section of submerged continental plate that can then be brought to the surface though geologic processes, it’s fossils are much more likely to survive long enough and also be found by humans. Deep sea environments are over oceanic plate. This rarely gets raised to the surface and is very quickly melted and reformed, completely destroying any fossils it could contain. The oldest known large sections of oceanic crust are around 200 million years old. There’s probably a lot of invaluable fossils of organisms unknown to science in that crust. The biggest issue is getting down there to find them. Because of deep ocean ecosystems having some protection from extinction events, we see a lot of species very similar to very old fossil species. The most famous example of this is of course the coelacanth but it is certainly not the only one. Long stemmed crinoids, chimeras, hagfish, vampire squids, and various early shark groups are all found almost only in the deep sea, although their fossil relatives show evidence of living in much shallower water. It’s not that all of these creatures took refuge in the deep sea to survive extinction. It’s that all of these diverse taxa had some members adapted to the deep and those were the only members that survived to this day. I’m not sure how well I’m explaining that or how well-supported this explanation for the trend is. It does make a lot of sense as to why so many “living fossils” (although I understand the misleading nature of that term) are found in the deep. Love your content! Great video

[@RaptorChatter]

Yep, there are serious biases against deep sea fossils. Seemingly some Chimaeras made it in the shallows through the Mesozoic, but after the KPg, the survivors were generally very deep living animals.

[@nomadpurple6154]

I'm glad you made the effort to type this. It is well explained. Thanks

[@GoodrichthysEskdalensis]

8:21 I remember hearing (I think from the Prehistoric Aquarium series on the Palaeocast channel) that there was a study that found them to not be able to glide like flying fish.

[@RaptorChatter]

I personally would not be surprised if they couldn't. I think their traits speak to a different lifestyle, though I am still very interested in seeing what the science is.

[@Timm-TGB]

I have to dispel a common misconception regarding the chimeras: They are not limited to extremely deep waters! Fishing for ground fish--rockfish, halibut, ling cod, etc, in what is now called the Salish Sea, we often caught Spotted Ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei) on common hook-and-line angling gear in waters of a few hundred feet depth. They were considered a trash fish.

[@GogetaVegeth98]

Finally, someone who exposed the "Sharks are living fossils" myth. The Elasmobranch group that they belong to (Selachii) arose during the Jurassic, so it's no older than mammals or birds.

[@Fede_99]

And also not older than trees as way too many damn people keep saying

[@swayback7375]

@@Fede_99since “trees” aren’t a thing the whole conversation is erroneous

[@GoodrichthysEskdalensis]

​@@swayback7375 Aren't they? I mean it's not a monophyletic group but that doesn't mean it's not a useful term.

[@GoodrichthysEskdalensis]

I think there might be some early possible representatives in the Permian (Synechodontiformes), but their phylogenetic positions are debated, but yeah, people heavily exaggerate the age of sharks.

[@GogetaVegeth98]

​@swayback7375 I'm no botanist but I guess "tree" is the equivalent of "fish" for a zoologist, way too broad of a name that encompasses so many different families

[@hypermoth]

It's a little guy, that's what it is

[@Shipfish]

that fish looks upside down. can't wait to find out why!

[@aceundead4750]

I love the chimeras. Such adorable little fellers. Also the iniopterigians artistic rendering makes me think of lionfish and zebrafish, some of them anyways.

[@a.r.h9919]

Back when their diversity was greater some occupied those niches

[@meowdara-gif]

you explain these so well, subbed

[@geoduckgeoscience4300]

Really looking forward to the site! When I have money I'll definitely be making an order!

[@GoodrichthysEskdalensis]

I thought you meant fossil site for a second.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

6:45 This looks like a bashful shark lol

[@OldManSilencer]

hey I know this is off topic but it was super cool to see you at the conference with other dinosaur creators like oddpride.

[@RaptorChatter]

It was great to be there! Hopefully some group content with a few people in the future.

[@joeshmoe8345]

thanks a bunch for sharing this with us Big Dog!

[@morrigangreen2915]

I too, was admiring your shirt and glad to hear that you’re gonna be selling them in your shop. Can’t wait to get my own.❤

[@pef1960]

Again, German "ä" is pronounced like a short e, so it's "Lager-stett-e"...

[@jhuyt-]

You know, if I saw this comment I would double down and pronounce it in increasingly wrong ways 😂

[@RedMagicA52]

Prehistoric cartilaginous fish are so underrated in their weirdness

[@RaptorChatter]

I agree. People like to focus on Helicoprion and Megalodon, but there's plenty more which are equally or more interesting.

[@Quantarum]

Love the shirt! ❤❤❤

[@AncientWildTV]

great video! i really appreciate how you broke down the complexities of Echinochimaera. however, i can’t help but wonder if there’s too much emphasis on its rarity. i mean, aren’t there plenty of other fascinating creatures we could be focusing on instead? just a thought!

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

I'd like to suggest a prehistoric fish lure line, curious creations evoking these ancient critters of the sea with hooks in them to catch modern critters of lakes and seas, a niche to be filled?

[@ret5343]

YOOO i love that shirt!

[@WilliamHer-t1j]

this looks like something from avatar

[@mawfull]

off topic from the video but PLEASE share a link for where you got that genuinely incredible eurypterid button-up. i NEED IT so badly. also awesome video :D i have never heard of such creatures before i had a blast learning smt new

[@RaptorChatter]

We are going to be selling them soon! Just checking a few other things with the manufacturer!

[@Magmafrost13]

I was not prepared to hear that dope shirt is going to be for sale but I cant wait because Ive been in the market for something exactly like it

[@RaptorChatter]

There's a lot of new designs too!

[@swayback7375]

“ I wish I could find more clothing with pictures of little dead things all over it”-you Cool

[@grantboardman7880]

Personally excited for the shirts, I should buy one one day.

[@RaptorChatter]

Coming soon! As in we are double checking the last few orders for quality, and then getting photos of each to get up on the site.

[@evangeloevoxi]

Why are so many adorable creatures extinct lol 😅

[@MichelZongo-q3r]

Amazing video

[@RaptorChatter]

Thanks!

[@bloodypigeon]

When I saw the thumbnail I thought this was a speculative evolution alien fish.

[@RaptorChatter]

Nope, it's a real thing that lived and died in the Montanan ocean

[@bloodypigeon]

@@RaptorChatter Yeah, evolution sure is a wonderful and unpredictable force. Nice to learn something new every day.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

It is a strange basal cartilaginous fish.

[@CazabichosManny]

OMG, I need that shirt, where can I buy it?

[@RaptorChatter]

Coming soon! We will have the announcement as soon as we're sure the new manufacturer has decent quality construction!

[@shawncromett5556]

I so want an eurypterid shirt now!

[@dinosaur_jones]

11:04 I feel bad for that Xenacanthus, man. Just think, you have one life to live and it was born as that thing. That's just not fair

[@mhdfrb9971]

The term “living fossil” is Pseudoscience; Plesiomorphic/Stabilomorph is the correct term. The main issue is that genetic change and flow, which gives birth to new species, is considered inevitable in biology. Any species often referred to as “living fossil” is in fact, anatomically and genetically distinct from its extinct relatives. Some, such as crocodiles or sharks, are actually counterexamples of “living fossils”. TLDR; “Living fossil” gives the connotation that certain species are immune to change, and is therefore inappropriate.

[@RaptorChatter]

Yep, my video on horseshoe crabs dives even deeper in on that!

[@Taomantom]

Great Shirt! Collar is twisted dude.

[@RaptorChatter]

This one is a prototype, and we're checking with other manufactures so that that should be less of an issue in the future.

[@Riprattle]

All VERTABRATES ARE FISH!!. In fact 30k fish are lobbed finned fish when you add up all the tertapod species.

[@cuthroatmaster6933]

you can catch them from sore where i live but the drop off is at 300ft we also have six gill sharks too