Big skate  (Raja binoculata)

Authentication

Authenticated (01/03/2006) by John McEachran, Professor in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A and M University.
http://wfscnet.tamu.edu/

Glossary

  • Bycatch: in the fishing industry, the part of the catch made up of non-target species.
  • Disc: In rays and skates, the expanded, flattened, and continuous section of the body that consists of the head, trunk, and pectoral fins, but excludes the tail.
  • Dorsal fin: the unpaired fin found on the back of the body of fish, or the raised structure on the back of most cetaceans
  • Ovipary: the method of reproduction in which eggs are laid and embryos develop outside of the female’s body.
  • Pectoral fin: in fish, one of the pair of fins that are found one on each side of the body just behind the gills. They are generally used for balancing and braking.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (November, 2005)
    http://www.redlist.org
  2. Elasmodiver.com (December, 2005)
    http://www.elasmodiver.com/big_skate.htm
  3. FishBase (December, 2005)
    http://www.fishbase.org/search.php
  4. Florida Museum of Natural History (December, 2005)
    http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/BigSkate/BigSkate.html
  5. McEachran, J. (2006) Pers. comm.
  6. eNature: National Wildlife Federation (December, 2005)
    http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=FI0235
  7. Monterey Bay Aquarium (December, 2005)
    http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_smm/smm_meetBrowser.asp?tf=16
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