Big Skate
Beringraja binoculata
Longnose Skate
Caliraja rhina
About
The longnose skate is a flat, diamond-shaped fish that lives on the seabed of the northeast Pacific. It is named for its long, pointed snout.
How to tell it apart
Many skates share a similar flat, diamond-shaped body, but this species' snout is unusually long and pointed compared to most, which is where its name comes from.
Appearance
It has a notably long, pointed snout and pelvic fins with a deep notch cut into their edge.
Habitat
It lives on the upper part of the continental slope, favouring seabeds thick with sediment as well as rocky patches and mixed, hard bottom. It is usually found in deeper water than the similar big skate.
Breeding
Females lay large, smooth egg cases with wide, web-like edges at the front and back. Each case holds a single embryo (the developing young), fewer than in closely related skates, which usually carry several.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
