Jensen's skate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jensen's skate |
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Jensen's skate (Amblyraja jenseni), also known as the shortail skate, is a type of fish. Scientists first found this fish in 2004. They discovered it during a study of fish living on the ocean floor.
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Why is it called Jensen's Skate?
This skate is named after a Danish scientist. His name was Adolf Severin Jensen (1866–1953). Mr. Jensen worked at Lund University. He studied many fish in the North Atlantic Ocean. The skate was named to honor his important work.
What Kind of Fish is it?
The shortail skate is part of the Rajidae family. This family includes over 180 different kinds of skates. The shortail skate belongs to a group called Amblyraja. There are 10 known species in this group. Some other skates in this group are the southern thorny skate and the thickbody skate.
What Does it Look Like?
Skates in the Rajidae family often look very similar. This can make it hard to tell them apart just by looking. Jensen's skate is a medium-sized fish. Males can grow up to about 74.3 centimeters (29 inches) long. Females can be a bit larger, up to 85 centimeters (33 inches).
Its back is usually chocolate-brown or gray-brown. It has darker spots scattered across it. The underside of the skate is a mix of white and brown patches. These white patches are found on its snout, belly, and around its mouth. The tail and pelvic fins are darker.
The skate's underside feels smooth. Its top side is covered with prickly scales. It has two or three pairs of strong thorns on each shoulder. These thorns usually form a triangle shape. A row of 24 to 29 thorns runs down its back. Smaller thorns are found along its tail. The shortail skate has a fairly short tail.
Male and female skates have some differences in their bodies. For example, males have special pelvic fins. These fins are used during reproduction. Males and females also differ slightly in their body length and eye size.
Where Does it Live?
Jensen's skate is believed to live only in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has been found off the coasts of New England, Nova Scotia, and Iceland. It also lives near Ireland and Canada. This skate can be found very deep in the ocean. It lives at depths from 167 meters (548 feet) to 2,548 meters (8,360 feet). This makes it one of the deepest-living skates known.
What Does it Eat and How Does it Live?
Skates are important animals in the ocean. They eat many small sea creatures and fish. This helps them act like top predators in their ecosystem. Scientists do not know much about what Jensen's skate eats specifically. However, like other skates, it likely eats squid, crabs, and small bony fish. This includes fish like rattails.
Scientists believe that Jensen's skate lays eggs. This is how most other skates reproduce. However, no one has seen its reproduction cycle yet.
