plownose chimaera
Callorhinchus callorynchus · Callorhinchidae · predator
Bottom cartilaginous fish, from the southeastern and southern coast of Brazil and the South Pacific coast. It appears in commercial fishing.
Also called: peixe-elefante, pejegallo, pez elefante, pez gallo, plownose chimaera, elephant fish
- maximum
- 89 cm
- depth
- 10–116 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the plownose chimaera
who is the plownose chimaera
The elephant fish is a chimaera of the family Callorhinchidae, an elongated cartilaginous fish that reaches 89.2 cm. The usual size is 70 cm. It lives near sandy or muddy bottoms, between 10 and 116 m deep, from Peru to Chile in the Pacific, and from the southeastern and southern coast of Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay in the Atlantic. It is oviparous. It appears in commercial fishing. Its snout has a fleshy plow-shaped appendage, resembling a trunk.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the plownose chimaera.
identification
Elongated cartilaginous fish body, with very large pectoral fins and a spine in front of the dorsal fin. The snout with a plow-shaped appendage is the most distinctive trait. It lives in subtropical waters, from Peru to Argentina, on sandy and muddy bottoms of the coast and shelf.
where found
Southeastern Pacific, from Peru to Chile, and southwestern Atlantic, from the southeastern and southern coast of Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay.
Habitat: Sandy or muddy bottom of the coast and shelf, between 10 and 116 meters deep.
coast
rules for the plownose chimaera
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It is not dangerous, but the spine on the dorsal fin can injure: hold it by the body, with care, and release it with minimal handling.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00457, b = 3.13; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Callorhinchus callorynchus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Callorhinchus callorynchusNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: