![]() ![]() While prey is different for each species, they usually eat crabs, lobsters, shrimp, clams, worms, squid, small fish, and various invertebrate species. These creatures are carnivores, which means that they feed on other animals. In fact, the greatest species diversity occurs in temperate regions or colder. Their distribution also extends from tropical waters all the way to polar regions. They range everywhere from the coast to nearly 10,000 ft. You can find these rays virtually throughout the oceans of the world. They also range widely in the depths that they occupy, from shallow coasts to deep trenches. Some live in areas with soft sandy bottoms, others in areas with gravel or even mud. These fish use their flat bodies to blend in with their surroundings on the sea floor and catch prey with ease.ĭifferent species occupy a number of different habitats. While not all rays are benthic, or bottom dwellers, all members of Rajidae are. The flattened body of all rays makes them perfectly adapted to life on the ocean floor. This beautiful species has intricate patterns across its dorsal surface as well. The IUCN lists this species as Endangered. Undulate Ray – The undulate ray is another species in the Rajidae family that suffers due to overfishing.These spots work perfectly as camouflage when the fish flattens itself in the sand and waits for prey to stray too close. Spotted Skate – This species sports a number of small speckles on the upper half of its body, also known as its dorsal surface.Humans purposefully catch this species for its large size, and accidentally catch it while dragging fishing nets across the ocean floor. In fact, the IUCN lists this massive creature as Critically Endangered. Despite their name, this species definitely isn’t common. “Common” Skate – In direct contradiction to the literal interpretation of the clearnose species, we move on to the common.The space on either side of their nostrils is translucent, or see through! This species is particularly odd because they actually live up to their name. Clearnose Skate – These creatures live in the oceans off the eastern coast of North America.Below, we assess several different species and what makes them unique. You have a wide variety of different species to look to for interesting information. This gives them something of an arrow-shaped appearance. While many species of rays have rounded bodies, members of Rajidae typically have pointed heads. The various species range in size from the 2-foot long starry Skate to the 9 ½ -foot long common Skate. Basically, they look like a rather large person sat of top of them and squished them flat. ![]() All species are dorsoventrally flattened to some degree, which means their bodies are flat and wide. These rays come in a number of different shapes and sizes. ![]()
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