Raja eglanteria

Clear Nose Skate-Raja eglanteria

Habitat Clear nose skates are often found near shore in schools. However, as the water warms they move offshore to deeper, cooler waters.

Range Commonly found along the Atlantic coast of North America from Cape Cod to Florida. The clear nose skate is also commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas. In many places the clear nose skate is considered the most common skate in the area.

Description Clear nose skates can reach a maximum width of about 19 inches and a maximum length of about 33 inches. They are dark or light brown with shades of grey. Also, they often have darker brown spots throughout. As the common name suggest, they have an area of clear tissue around the nose. Clear nose skates also have about 50 upper and 50 lower teetch tightly packed together. A single row of small thorns is present along the dorsal side along with two dorsal fins on the posterior end of the tail.

Ecological Notes Clear nose skates commonly eat mollusks, shrimp, crabs, and small fish. They are not considered an endangered species, or are an immediate threat to become endangered. These skates are not a danger to humans because the do not have stinging barbs on their tails, like stingrays do.

Personal Info I caught a clear nose skate on Jennette's Pier in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Journal Articles To learn more about the clear nose skate, listed are a few interesting journal articles.

This journal article is about the low pH of the GI track of the clear nose skate and how that allows them to digest food properly.

[[1]]Dasiewicz, P. J., Liban, S., Ryan, C., , & Taylor, J. R. (2010). Gastro-intestinal handling of water and solutes in three species of elasmobranch fish, the white-spotted bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium plagiosum, little skate, Leucoraja erinacea and the clear nose skate Raja eglanteria. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, 155(4), 493-502. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.09.020

This journal article is about the general matting behavior of the clear nose skate. It talks about egg deposition, incubation period, and how the eggs hatch in the environment.

[[2]]Luer , C., & Gilbert, P. (1985). Mating behavior, egg deposition, incubation period, and hatching in the. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 13(3), 161-171. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/ln0nk286u558780l/fulltext.pdf

Another helpful website on clear nose skates: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/clearnoseskate/clearnoseskate.html