Big Skate

Beringraja binoculata

Big Skate

Beringraja binoculata

Sandy Coast, Orford Reef, Halibut Flats

At the Aquarium

Sandy Coast, Orford Reef, Halibut Flats

Appearance

Big skates have diamond-shaped bodies, pointed snouts, 2 large eyespots on their back, and their colors range from drab browns, olives, to grays with many small light dots and some dark mottling.

Habitat

Inner and outer continental shelf, mostly over soft bottoms

Diet

Juveniles feed mostly on worms and mollusks while adults feed on crustaceans, small fishes, worms, and mollusks.

Life History

The egg case is deposited on the seafloor and it takes between 6-20 months, depending on water temperature, for the embryos to develop and hatch. A female might be able to lay as many as 350 egg cases per year.

Big skates can live to at least 30 years and can reach lengths of 9.5 feet, though it is rare to find one longer than 6 feet.

IUCN Status

Least Concern

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Big skates are eaten by sevengill sharks, brown rockfish, Steller sea lions, and their egg cases are eaten by northern elephant seals.

Alaska to southern Baja California, Mexico

You may find a big skate egg case washed up on the beach. Do not remove the case from the beach; instead, return it to the water or leave it be.

All skates lay their eggs in cases often called mermaid purses. The egg case of the big skate is unusual because it is large, up to 12 inches long, and can contain up to 7 eggs per case, though 2 is most common. There is only one other skate species that lays more than 1 embryo in a mermaid’s purse.

These fish grow and mature slowly. Most females reach sexual maturity by age 12, at 4.3 feet long.

Big Skate

Big Skate

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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