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Rays and skates are closely related to sharks... except they are flattened.
The fossil record of rays/skates goes all the way to the Lower Jurassic (about 150 million years ago). Due to these animals having skeletons made out of cartilage, they leave little fossil record except teeth. Skates belong to the family Rajidae, in the superorderBatoidea. There are more than 200 different species that are divided into 27 genera. The two subfamilies are Rajinae (hardnose skates) and Arhynchobatinae (softnose skates). "So, how can you tell the difference between a ray and skate?" Well, there are a few ways.
First, rays are generally larger than skates. Skates usually have a prominent dorsal fin, which is small, if not absent, in rays. Rays are usually kite shaped or rounded, with whip-like tails that have spine(s) that have the ability to deliver a painful, and venomous, sting. Meanwhile, skates have a fleshy tail that lacks spines, therefore they protect themselves with large thorns on their backs and tails.
Skates also have small teeth, and rays have plate-like teeth (for crushing prey). Their major difference lies internally, though: their reproductive strategies. Rays are viviparous (bear live young) while skates are oviparous (lay leathery eggs, similar to shark egg capsules). The common skate (Dipturus batis) is the largest skate in the world, reaching up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in length; they can get to be up to 50 years old! The smallest skate is the starry skate (Raja stellata), only obtaining a total length of 0.76 m (about 2.5 ft). "So are they harmful to humans?" Skates, which lack stinging spines, are completely harmless to humans! You might get a bit scratched up from the thorns due to improper handling, but nothing a band-aid can't fix in a quick minute. differences between skates vs rays
glossary
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AuthorTFUI Founder Melissa C. Marquez is author of all animal bios and "Behind the Fins" segments. SEE MELISSA'S TEDx TALK HERE:
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