Boreal skate

Jones, D.O.B., Gates, A.R., Curry, R.A., Thomson, M., Pile, A., Benfield, M. (Eds) (2009). SERPENT project. Media database archive. Available online at: http://archive.serpentproject.com/1253/

The boreal skate (Amblyraja hyperborea) is the opposite of what I am: anti-tropical. Found in the temperate parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, they are common residents of lower continental slopes off southern Australia and New Zealand, recorded from 980 to 2000 m deep. 

A greyish brown colour, their dorsal side sports large dusky blotches and they have a dark tipped snout. Their disc has a row of thorns that leads to its tail, which has six dark saddles. The underbelly of these animals is usually dark grey with the mouth, gills, cloaca and snout being a bit paler in colour. Their low-lying dorsal fins are also dark in colour, as are their claspers. Reaching up to 107 cm, males usually mature at 94 cm (females are currently unknown).

Like many Chondrichthyans, their diet and reproduction are unknown, but due to their depth the IUCN has assessed this skate as Least Concern (LC).

did you know about this animal?

glossary

• Benthic zone: The bottom of an ocean or lake.
• Benthopelagic zone: The region about 100 meters off the bottom.
• Claspers: Sexual reproduction organs found on male elasmobranchs and chimaeras.
• Cloaca: Also called the vent; the opening to their digestive, reproductive and urinary tracts.
• Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
• Continental slope: Steep slope descending from continental shelf to the continental rise; typically about 20 km (12.4 miles) wide, consisting of mud and silt.
• Dorsal fin: Fin located on the back.
• Insular slope: The shelf around an island.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Temperate waters: The water between tropical seas and the Polar Regions (10-21° C, 50-69.8° F).
• Tropical waters: Waters that are between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S).

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