![]() When it comes to their classification within the animal kingdom, both stingrays and skates belong to the class Chondrichthyes-but then they diverge. Skates, on the other hand, have small, pointed teeth, which come in handy for capturing small fish, crustaceans and other prey. Stingray's mouths are typically lined with flat, plate-like teeth that are used for crushing hard-shelled prey such as oysters and clams. ![]() It's not a hard-and-fast rule, but generally, stingrays are larger than skates. SizeĪnother clue that can help distinguish these two elasmobranchs is size. These egg cases are sometimes referred to as mermaid's purses. If you've ever come across a rectangular, black, leathery pouch with horns extending from each corner while strolling the beach, you've found a skate egg case. Skates, however, are oviparous, which means they lay eggs. Stingrays are viviparous, which means they give birth to fully formed young. The reproductive strategies of these two elasmobranchs are vastly different. A would-be predator, like a shark or grouper, that spots a skate may think twice about biting down on these thorn-like adornments. These "thorns" aren't venomous like a stingray's spines, but they're also used for protection. Instead of stinging spines, skates' tails are lined with blunt, thorny projections, which also line skates' backs. Stingrays typically aren't aggressive but will protect themselves when threatened by raising their tails up, piercing the skin of their predators and injecting the venom. These sharp, serrated spines deliver venom into predators-or into the feet of humans that accidentally step on a buried stingray, which can be extremely painful, but rarely fatal. If you take a look at a stingray's tail, you'll find their namesake stinging spines, or barbs, which they use as protection. oviparous-there are more differences between stingrays and skates than meets the eye. These guys are not aggressive and pose no danger unless you come too close they are really shy and get spooked easily.Stinging spines vs. And as you can see in the picture below, they’re spotted all over their backs – which gave them their name. Spotted eagle rays have venomous barbed stingers behind the pelvic fins, located by the tail. They find their food by digging with their snout through the sandy rubble. They are usually found in shallow coastal waters and in warm and temperate oceans all over the world, where they feed on small fish and crustaceans. Their size, from fin tip to fin is 6-8 feet or 2-3m. Spotted eagle rays are easy to identify by the white spots on the dorsal side. Once you see all three types of rays it will be easy to distinguish between them but if you prefer reading, read on below! If you would prefer to look & listen, click play to watch the video. ![]() Note: I have also recorded a video about this topic with very descriptive footage. Let’s dive into that in the following article! There are a lot of differences between these three types of rays – like their diet, their size, and how they look. Along the coastline, you will mainly see graceful reef mantas. When you come to Hawaii, there is a good chance that you would see a spotted eagle ray and sometimes even a stingray – although the latter is quite rare. There are so many different types of rays in the ocean! Many people think they’ve seen a manta ray – while in reality, they spotted a different animal.
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