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Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. More than 150 species have been described, in 17 genera. Softnose skates and pygmy skates were previously treated as subfamilies of Rajidae, but are now considered as distinct families. Alternatively, the name "skate" is used to refer to the entire order of Rajiformes.
The Northeastern United States, also referred to as simply the Northeast, is a geographical region of the United States bordered to the north by Canada, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Southern United States, and to the west by the Midwestern United States. The Northeast is one of the four regions defined by the United States Census Bureau for the collection and analysis of statistics.
Rat tail or Rat's tail may refer to:
Noriega is a surname of Spanish origin, and may refer to:
The New Zealand smooth skate is a skate of the genus Dipturus, found around New Zealand at depths between 15 and 1,300 m.
Dipturus is a large genus of skates native to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. They were formerly included in Raja. Some species initially moved to Dipturus were later placed in Dentiraja, Spiniraja, and Zearaja.
The barndoor skate is a species of marine cartilaginous fish in the skate family Rajidae of the order Rajiformes. It is native to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, and is found from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the southern side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence south to North Carolina. The fish is one of the largest skates found in the North Atlantic Ocean, reaching lengths up to 1.5 m (5 ft). It is carnivorous, feeding on invertebrates and other fish found near the sea floor.
The common skate, also known as the blue skate, is the largest skate in the world, attaining a length of up to 2.85 m (9.4 ft). Historically, it was one of the most abundant skates in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its name, today it appears to be absent from much of this range. Where previously abundant, fisheries directly targeted this skate and elsewhere it is caught incidentally as bycatch. The species was uplisted to critically endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2006 and it is protected within the EU.
The blackspot skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is found off the south-eastern coast of Africa from Durban, South Africa to central Mozambique. Its natural habitat is open seas. It has a triangular snout, tail stout that is moderately smaller than its body, and small thorns on the nape and back. On the upper side of the fish it is medium grey or a brownish color with black spots and the underside has noticeably black spores.
The Madagascar skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is open seas. It is threatened by habitat loss. The IUCN describes the species as "a relatively small, poorly known, rare, deepwater skate with a limited distribution in the Western Indian Ocean off the west coast of Madagascar. [It is b]enthic on the continental slope at depths of 300 to 850 m. Virtually nothing is known of the biology of the species."
The rattail skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is endemic to Mozambique. Its natural habitat is open seas.
The thintail skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is open seas.
The argus skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. This small, up to 38 cm (1.25 ft) long, skate is endemic to depths of 135–320 m (443–1,050 ft) in the oceans off northeast Australia. It was formerly included in Dipturus or Raja.
The slimeskate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is found on soft bottoms of the outer shelf and upper slope on the coast of South Africa and Namibia.
The maugean skate or Port Davey Skate is a species of fish in the Rajidae family. Its natural habitat is estuarine waters. It is endemic to Tasmania, only found in Macquarie Harbour and Bathurst Harbour. The species was discovered in 1988 by Dr Graham Edgar.
The prownose skate is a species of fish in the family Rajidae. It is found off Mozambique and South Africa. Its natural habitat is open seas.
Enteroctopus megalocyathus, also known as the southern red octopus, is a medium-sized octopus, and the type species for the genus Enteroctopus.
The Norwegian skate, or black skate, is a species of skate found at depths of 200 m (660 ft) to over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the East Atlantic region. Initially its range was believed to be restricted to the Norwegian Sea and North Sea to the Bay of Biscay. It is occasionally encountered off the western coast of Ireland, and historically has been found near Rockall and in the Norwegian Deep, though recent surveys have not identified the species there. The species has frequently been confused with other skates, and since the late 1980s it has been confirmed to occur more widely, ranging from Iceland to Morocco, as well as off South Africa and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Dipturus teevani, commonly known as the prickly brown ray or Caribbean skate, is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Rajidae. The prickly brown ray is medium in size compared to other skates, and is known from a patchy, deep-water distribution in the western Atlantic Ocean.
