Skate (fish) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Skates |
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| Arctic skate, Amblyraja hyperborea | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Rajiformes |
| Family: | Rajidae Bonaparte, 1831 |
For the act of skating, see skating.
Skates are fascinating fish that live in the ocean. Unlike most fish, their skeletons are not made of hard bone. Instead, they have skeletons made of cartilage, which is a flexible material like what you have in your nose or ears.
Skates belong to a special group of fish called the Rajidae family. They are part of the larger group known as Rajiformes. Skates are closely related to rays and even sharks! There are more than 200 different kinds, or species, of skates. These species are grouped into 27 different genera.
Scientists divide skates into two main types: hardnose skates and softnose skates.
Contents
Skates vs. Stingrays: What's the Difference?
Skates might look a lot like stingrays because they are in the same big group of fish. However, there are some important differences between them.
Tails and Thorns
Skates are usually smaller than stingrays. They also have shorter, thicker tails. One of the biggest differences is that skates do not have stings. Stingrays have a sharp, venomous barb on their tail for defense. Skates, on the other hand, have thicker tails with small, harmless "thorns" or bumps along the edges. At the base of a skate's tail, you can also see a set of extra fins.
How Skates Have Babies
Another big difference between skates and rays is how they give birth to their young. Most rays are ovoviviparous. This means their eggs develop inside the mother's body, and the babies hatch inside before being born live.
Skates are different; they are oviparous. This means they lay their eggs outside their body. These eggs are often found in tough, leathery cases. People sometimes call these egg cases "mermaid's purses."
Images for kids
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An ancient fossil stingray called Heliobatis radians from the Early Eocene period.
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A skate caught while fishing in the Outer Banks.
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A full view of a skate's egg case, often called a "mermaid's purse." This one is about 125 mm long.
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A close-up showing the electric organ fibers in a skate's tail muscles.
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Four developing baby skates inside an opened big skate egg case.
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See also
In Spanish: Rájidos para niños
