A clearnose skate on the wet sandy shores of Assateague Island, in Worcester County, Maryland.
This species is on the small side with a maximum length of 33 inches.
Brier Ray. Raja eglanteria. Male
The clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria) is a small, flat-bodied fish inhabiting the western Atlantic Ocean. Alternate names for this species include brier skate and summer skate.
clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria, 207mm Disc Width. Atlantic Ocean, just north of Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach County, VA - 08/21/13. Photo by Robert Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Unlike rays, which have stingers on their tails, skates have thorns on their backs.
