The anterior tooth plates of the upper jaw are sharp and blade-like while the anterior tooth plates of the lower jaw are flat used for crushing hard prey items. The ghost shark has three pairs of hypermineralized tooth plates. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is much longer than the lower lobe. The caudal fin is broadest at the lower lobe origin and lacks a caudal filament. There is a spine located just anterior to the first dorsal fin the first dorsal fin is much taller than the second dorsal fin and the anal fin is taller than the caudal fin. The pectoral fins are large, providing a primary means of locomotion. There is a single gill opening immediately in front of the pectoral fin origin on each side of the fish. The mouth is located just behind the snout and the eyes which are often green are large and set high on the head. The ghost shark is easy to recognize due to the small club-like structure located on the snout. The spine has been reputed to be venomous, but no serious injuries have yet been reported. This fish has three cone pigments for colour vision (like humans) its dorsal fin has a very sharp spine. Males of this species mature at about 65 cm. It is found off southern Australia, including Tasmania, and south of East Cape and Kaipara Harbour in New Zealand, at depths of 0 - 200 m. Alternative names include elephant shark, makorepe, whitefish, plownose chimaera, or elephant fish. Sharks, rays and skates are the other members of the cartilaginous fish group and are grouped under the subclass Elasmobranchii. The Australian ghostshark, Callorhinchus milii, is a cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) belonging to the subclass Holocephali (chimaera). Elephant Shark (Australian Ghostshark) - Callorhinchus milii
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