Skate & Ray Biology (2024)

FAQs

Skate & Ray Biology? ›

Rays are live bearing (viviparous) while skates are egg laying (oviparous), releasing their eggs in hard rectangular cases sometimes called “mermaid's purses”. Also, skates typically have a prominent dorsal fin while the dorsal fin is absent or greatly reduced in rays.

skate, (order Rajiformes), in zoology, any of numerous flat-bodied cartilaginous fishes constituting the order Rajiformes. Skates are found in most parts of the world, from tropical to near-Arctic waters and from the shallows to depths of more than 2,700 metres (8,900 feet).

At first glance, stingrays and skates look similar. They both have flat bodies that look like a kite and move by undulating their large wing-like pectoral fins. Their gill slits are on the ventral (underside) of their body (in sharks, for example, these slits are located on the sides of their heads).

Rays give live birth while skates lay eggs in egg cases, often called “mermaid's purses”.

Rays are the largest group of cartilaginous fishes, with well over 600 species in 26 families. Rays are distinguished by their flattened bodies, enlarged pectoral fins that are fused to the head, and gill slits that are placed on their ventral surfaces.

Most rays are kite-shaped with whip-like tails possessing one or two stinging spines while skates have fleshier tails and lack spines. Rays protect themselves with these stinging spines or barbs while skates rely on thorny projections on their backs and tails to for protection from predators.

A skate's tail tends to be stockier, whereas a ray's is slender and whip-like. Some rays have a stinging spine on the tail, which skates don't have. Another key difference is that skates reproduce by laying eggs. Whereas rays give birth to live young.

Along with their basic body shape, skates and rays are characterized by ventral gill openings, eyes and spiracles located on the top of the head, pavement-like teeth, and lack of an anal fin.

Along the Jersey Shore, skates and rays will eat mostly on invertebrates that live on the bottom of an ocean or estuary. Skates prefer to eat on shellfish and crabs, sea quirts, shrimps, squid and small fish. Rays feed on a diverse diet of shellfish and crabs including clams, crabs, shrimps, and oysters.

Skates and rays respire primarily using their spiracles. Spiracles are small, round openings, located on top of and on either side of the head immediately posterior to the eye and anterior to the principal gill opening. These structures can be used in place of the mouth to actively draw water into the gill chambers.

What are the adaptations of skates and rays? ›

Skates and rays have special adaptations for living on the seafloor. For example, their eyes are on the top of their bodies, facing up. This lets them see potential predators above them. Next to their eyes, they also have something called spiracles.

True Rays don't have dorsal fins but skates have two. Skates lay eggs but true Rays give birth to live young.

Finally, if you really want to get up close and personal with your catch, check its mouth. Most Skates have small, pointy teeth. Rays have serrated plates which are designed more for crushing prey than biting it.

Stingray's mouths are typically lined with flat, plate-like teeth that are used for crushing hard-shelled prey such as oysters and clams. Skates, on the other hand, have small, pointed teeth, which come in handy for capturing small fish, crustaceans and other prey.

While sharks have a body shape like other fish, most skates and rays have flattened bodies that are wing-like, helping them glide effortlessly through the water.

Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. More than 150 species have been described, in 17 genera. Softnose skates and pygmy skates were previously treated as subfamilies of Rajidae (Arhynchobatinae and Gurgesiellinae), but are now considered as distinct families.

Skates: Skates are another type of cartilaginous fish closely related to sharks and rays. They have a similar body shape to rays, with flattened bodies and large pectoral fins. However, skates lack the venomous barb found in many ray species.

Examples of skate in a Sentence

Verb hockey players skating into position Couples skated around the rink. She skated an excellent program in the competition. We skate at the park. The bugs skated along the surface of the water.

Skates are harvested in two different fisheries, one for wings for human consumption and one for lobster bait.