Skate
| Class: Fishes: 4
classes |
Diet: Fish |
| Order:
Rajiformes: Skates and Rays |
| Size:
2.4 m (8 ft) |
| Family: No Fish family
information |
Conservation Status:
Critically Endangered |
| Scientific Name: Raja
batis |
Habitat: deep waters |
| Range:
Eastern Atlantic Ocean: Arctic Ocean to Madeira; Mediterranean Sea |
 The
skate is a valuable commercial species, and large numbers are caught for
food. Skates live in water from 30 to 600 m (98 to 2,000 ft) deep; only
young fishes are found in the shallower part of this range. The skate has
a flattened body, broad pectoral fins and a tiny tail. There are small
spines on the tail and on the underside of the body; adult females also
have spines on the front edge of the body, while males have spines on their
backs. Skates are bottom-dwellers; they feed on fish, crabs, lobsters
and octopuses. Their eggs, deposited on the seabed, are encased in horny
capsules which have long tips at each corner. The young are about 21 cm
(8 1/4 in) long on hatching.
  
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