White skate

📖 Overview

Inhabit shelf and slope waters . Found on sand and rock-sand bottom . A bottom-predator of bony fishes, other elasmobranchs, fish offal, crabs, shrimps, mysids, octopi, and cuttlefish . Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 4426. Maximum length for female is 202 cm . Oviparous. Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother . Eggs are oblong capsules with stiff pointed horns at the corners deposited in sandy or muddy flats . Egg capsules are 12.5-18.3 cm long and 10.0-13.9 cm wide . About 55-156 eggs are produced per individual annually .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

A giant skate with a broad-based, abruptly narrow-tipped snout covered with small, sharp thorns; pectoral disc angular, and no thorns on nape or back, but three rows of large thorns on tail . Larger immature and adult individuals grey with numerous small white spots above, underside white with no black pores; hatchlings plain reddish-brown above, often with blue spots, and white below with broad dusky grey margins on disc .: other.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for White skate is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for White skate is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk . Eggs are laid in huge cases and take up to 18 months to hatch . Distinct pairing with embrace. Young may tend to follow large objects, such as their mother .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; depth range 30 - 600 m , usually 50 - 500 m . Subtropical; 56°N - 37°S, 19°W - 23°E southwest Indian Ocean (British Isles to Mozambique) and the Mediterranean Sea.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 8 records indexed .

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