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Sandpaper Skate

2/27/2019

 
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Photo: E. Wright
​We love skates—and this one is no exception! The sandpaper skate, known scientifically as Bathyraja kincaidii, is “commonly found at depths of 200–500 m, but is usually found in deeper water in the southern portion of its range, possibly to 1,372 m” according to the IUCN webpage. With this range, that means they are probably found on the continental shelf to upper slope and may like mud-cobble substrates like many other skates. This is helpful when females go to lay their eggs, which they could possibly bury in this silty bottom. Here, they may be preyed upon by mollusks that bore holes in them to feed on the nourishing yolk-sac.

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RYAN NEVATTE

2/26/2019

 
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Me examining a Common Sawshark embryo (Photo credit: An Grobler)
When most people think of "sharks," they usually picture a great white shark leaping out of the waves and crashing back down under with a seal in its mouth.
​
They usually do not picture the two animals that scientist Ryan Nevatte studies: the Common Sawshark (Pristiophorus cirratus) and the Southern Sawshark (Pristiophorus nudipinnis). 

With a spade-like nose with long tendrils on either side, they look like a mash-up of multiple animals together instead of an actual living animal. But it's true, sawsharks are a thing! We know little about them and scientists like Ryan are beginning to uncover their mysterious lives.

TFUI is very excited to have Ryan here to discuss his work for the Behind the Fins series!

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Fatspine Spurdog

2/20/2019

 
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Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO.
This week, we want to introduce you to the fatspine spurdog (Squalus crassispinus), a pale grey dogfish in the family Squalidae. They have a blunt, short snout and medium-sized eyes. Often tinged with a bronze-like color, they have a snowy white belly and dark tips on their dorsal fins and a white margin on the caudal fin. Like others in the Squalidae family, they have robust, smooth dorsal fin spines.

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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