Common skate

D-Glattrochen; GB-Common skate, blue skate; DK-Skade; PL-Płaszczka naga, raja gładka; EST-Sile tiibrai; RU-Гладкий скат; FIN-Silorausku; S-Slätrocka

Characters

1) Snout pointed (a line from the wing tips to the snout does not interfere with front body margin).
2) only one row of thorns on top of tail (not on disc; young animals without thorns).
3) between both dorsal fins thorns present aswell.
●) Upper surface coloured variable, brownish with lighter spots; underside light grey.
Often 100 cm, up to max. 150 cm length.

Similar species

Shagreen ray - one row of thorns on neck; two parallel rows of thorns limited to tail

Thornback ray - snout blunt; a row of strong thorns on back and tail.

Starry skate - snout blunt; a row of strong thorns on back and tail.

Biology

Benthic over sandy and soft bottoms down to 200 m depth. Slow growing, sexual maturity is reached only after 11 years. Young hatch after 5 to 10 months from eggs.

Diet

As young animals mainly bottom-living molluscs, as adults mainly fish.

Importance

As food fish commercially most important Ray species in the north-west of Europe. In Germany traded as "Seeforelle".

Endangerment

Due to high commercial use and very slow reproduction rate becoming rare.