Leucoraja facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leucoraja |
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| Leucoraja erinacea | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Rajiformes |
| Family: | Rajidae |
| Genus: | Leucoraja Malm, 1877 |
| Species | |
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Leucoraja is a group of amazing sea creatures often called rough skates. They are a type of skate, which are flat fish related to sharks. You can find these skates living mostly near the edges of continents, in places like the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and around Australia. They usually hang out on the seafloor, on what are called continental shelves and slopes.
What are Rough Skates?
Rough skates belong to a family of fish called Rajidae. These skates have a flat body, almost like a pancake, and a long, thin tail. They spend most of their lives on the bottom of the ocean. They are often called "rough" because their skin can feel a bit bumpy or spiny.
Where Do Rough Skates Live?
These fascinating skates live in many different parts of the world's oceans. You can find them in the cool waters of the north-western and eastern Atlantic Ocean. They also swim in the Mediterranean Sea, which is between Europe and Africa. Further away, some types of rough skates live in the south-western Indian Ocean and around Australia. They prefer areas where the ocean floor slopes gently, like the edges of continents.
Different Kinds of Rough Skates
There are many different kinds, or species, of Leucoraja skates. Each one has its own unique features and preferred habitat. Here are some of the known species:
- Leucoraja caribbaea (McEachran, 1977) (Maya skate)
- Leucoraja circularis (Couch, 1838) (sandy skate)
- Leucoraja compagnoi (Stehmann, 1995) (tigertail skate)
- Leucoraja erinacea (Mitchill, 1825) (little skate)
- Leucoraja fullonica (Linnaeus, 1758) (shagreen skate)
- Leucoraja garmani (Whitley, 1939) (rosette skate)
- Leucoraja lentiginosa (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1951) (speckled skate)
- Leucoraja leucosticta (Stehmann, 1971) (white dappled skate)
- Leucoraja melitensis (R. S. Clark, 1926) (Maltese skate)
- Leucoraja naevus (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841) (cuckoo skate)
- Leucoraja ocellata (Mitchill, 1815) (winter skate)
- Leucoraja pristispina Last, Stehmann & Séret, 2008 (sawback skate)
- Leucoraja virginica (McEachran, 1977) (Virginia skate)
- Leucoraja wallacei (Hulley, 1970) (yellow-spotted skate)
- Leucoraja yucatanensis (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1950) (Yucatán skate)
