Spinytail skate (Bathyraja spinicauda)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Bathyraja spinicauda
- Common name
- Spinytail skate
- Category
- Fish
- Family
- Arhynchobatidae
- Genus
- Bathyraja
- Size
- 90–175 cm
- Depth
- 140–1500 m
- IUCN status
- Vulnerable (VU)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- mud
- Behaviours
- solitary
- Ocean zones
- East Atlantic
Description
Bathyraja spinicauda reaches 1.75 m. Large boreal-arctic skate (Arhynchobatidae) Northwest and northern Atlantic deep. Flat brown-gray to brown-black body with very long tail covered with distinctive spines (hence spinicauda, spiny tail). Lives from 140 to 1500 m on deep muddy bottoms of North Atlantic and Arctic (Greenland, Northwest Atlantic, Norway). Listed VU by IUCN following deep trawl bycatch. Extremely rare wide-angle photo subject, observable only with scientific ROVs.
Photo of Spinytail skate
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Spinytail skate?
- Spinytail skate (Bathyraja spinicauda) reaches 90–175 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Spinytail skate?
- Spinytail skate is found between 140–1500 m deep.
- Is the Spinytail skate dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Spinytail skate?
- IUCN status: Vulnerable (VU).
- Where can you find the Spinytail skate?
- Found in: East Atlantic.
Similar species
- Haemulon flavolineatum - French grunt
- Haemulon sciurus - Bluestriped grunt
- Haemulon plumierii - White grunt
- Haemulon parra - Sailor's choice
- Carcharhinus melanopterus - Blacktip reef shark
- Hippocampus guttulatus - Long-snouted seahorse
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 105868)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 2420305)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia