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Richardson’s skate

7/11/2016

 
Picture
© Alexei Orlov
Richardson’s skate doesn’t mean a Richardson owns all of these skates… in fact, Melissa couldn’t find out why they were called “Richardson’s skate.” Bathyraja richardsoni are diamond-shaped with small eyes and covered in fine denticles (dorsal thorns are lacking).
Why Richardson’s would want to own all of these skates when there are prettier skates out there and these are just plain dark grey-brown in color. Their mouth, nasal passages and inner gill slits are white.

They are found in the deep ocean basins of the North Atlantic and off the southern bit of Tasmania. They are what you call benthopelagic (around 865-2,377 meters), and found in the Hikurangi Trough and Chatham Rise to Campbell Plateau. Usually, though, they are below 1,100 meters up to 2,990 meters.
​
Their IUCN assessment is currently Least Concern (LC).

ever heard of this skate?

glossary

  • Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
  • Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. It is an ideal area for deepsea fishing.
  • Dorsal fin: Fin located on the back.
  • Endemic: Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.
  • IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  • Monotypic: Where a genus only has a single species.
  • Trawl fisheries: Fisheries that pull a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.

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    Author

    TFUI Founder Melissa C. Marquez is author of all animal bios and "Behind the Fins" segments.
    ​
    A proud #LatinainSTEM, Marquez is a marine biologist who focuses on shark habitat use and movements; she is also a science communicator (follow her on Twitter) who focuses on diverse Chondrichthyan education and who focuses on the media coverage of sharks.
    You can learn more about her on her website.

    SEE MELISSA'S TEDx TALK HERE:

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  • About TFUI
    • TFUI Origins >
      • About TFUI Founder Melissa
      • TFUI Officers
    • Take a Bite
    • Get Involved
    • FAQ
  • Bite Blog
  • Education
    • The Sharks >
      • Shark Anatomy
    • The Skates & Rays
    • The Chimaeras
    • Why Environments Matter
    • The Threats
    • Open Access >
      • Behind the Fins: Interview series
      • Bite into Research
      • Shark Bites: Book Recommendations
      • Sustainable Seafood Apps
  • Fins United
    • Shark Party Ideas
    • Little Fins Nursery
    • Big Fins Reef
  • Contact