Maugean skate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maugean skate |
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The Maugean skate (pronounced "maw-jee-an") is a special type of fish that looks a bit like a flat ray. It's also called the Port Davey skate. Its scientific name is Dipturus maugeanus. This amazing creature is an endangered fish from the Rajidae family, which includes skates and rays.
You can only find the Maugean skate in Tasmania, an island state of Australia. It lives in the slightly salty (brackish) waters of two estuaries: Macquarie Harbour and Bathurst Harbour. Scientists first discovered this skate in 1988. It was named after René Maugé, a zoologist who explored Tasmania a long time ago in 1802.
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What Does the Maugean Skate Look Like?
The Maugean skate is a medium-sized skate. Males can grow up to about 74 centimeters (about 29 inches) long. Females are a bit bigger, reaching around 87 centimeters (about 34 inches).
Body Shape and Color
This skate has a body shaped like a square with rounded corners. It has a long, pointed snout. Its underside has dark-edged pores, which are tiny holes. The top of the skate is mostly dark grey to brown. It has small, light white spots that are hard to see.
Tail and Thorns
The Maugean skate's tail is quite wide at its base. It gets narrower towards the end, where it has two large fins. If you look closely, you can tell males and females apart by their tails. Males have three rows of thorns along their tail. Females have five rows of thorns.
How Is It Different from Other Skates?
The Maugean skate is unique compared to its close relatives. It is smaller when fully grown and has a longer snout. Its top surface is also smoother. The only other skate found in the same areas is the thornback skate. The Maugean skate is different because it's larger, has a longer snout, and its top is smoother. The thornback skate is smaller and has a short, rounded snout.
Where Does the Maugean Skate Live?
The Maugean skate lives in specific places. It is only found in two isolated estuaries on the west coast of Tasmania. These are Macquarie Harbour and Bathurst Harbour. An estuary is where a river meets the sea, so the water is a mix of fresh and salt water, called brackish water.
Preferred Habitat
This skate prefers to live on the bottom of shallow channels. These channels are usually between 5 and 15 meters (about 16 to 49 feet) deep. The water in these areas often has poor light because of high amounts of tannins, which are natural chemicals that can make the water look dark. The bottom of its habitat is usually silty, meaning it's made of fine mud and sand.
Is It Still in Bathurst Harbour?
Scientists have only seen the Maugean skate in Bathurst Harbour four times. The last confirmed sighting there was in 1992. Even after many surveys between 1992 and 2022, no more skates were found. Recent tests in 2022 looked for the skate's DNA in the water. They found very little of it. This suggests that the skate might no longer live in Bathurst Harbour. It could be locally extinct, or there might be only a very small number left.
What Does the Maugean Skate Eat?
The Maugean skate is an important part of its food web. It eats other animals that live on the bottom of the water. Its main food source is crustaceans, which are animals like crabs and shrimp.
Why Is the Maugean Skate Endangered?
The Maugean skate is listed as an Endangered species. This means it is at a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
Conservation Status Listings
It is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This is a global list of animals and plants facing extinction. It is also protected by laws in Australia and Tasmania. The Australian Government protects it under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Tasmanian Government protects it under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. These laws help to make sure the Maugean skate and its habitat are protected.
