ray v. skate

A stringray leaping out of the water. Skates and rays belong to the superorder Batoidea. Batoids are flat-bodied cartilaginous fish with pectoral fins fused to their heads, and ventral gill slits. This group also includes electric rays, butterfly rays, manta rays, stingrays, sawfish, and guitarfish. Skates are sometimes considered to be a type of ray, but there are several significant differences between them.

Feature	Rays	Skates
Order	Myliobatiformes	Rajiformes
Tail	Long and thin without dorsal fins	Short and fleshy with 2 small dorsal fins at the tip
Defensive structures	Venemous barbed spine midway along tail	Non-venemous thorn-like scales along the midline of the back and tail
Reproduction	Give birth to live young (viviparous)	Lay eggs (oviparous) in leathery capsules called mermaid’s purses
Habitat	Marine, brackish, freshwater	Marine
Color	Sometimes bold patterns	Sometimes brown or grey
Size	Up to 7 meters	Up to 2 meters
Pelvic fin	1 lobe	2 lobes

 

ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research on ray v. skate

Mote Marine Laboratory on stingrays

North Carolina Aquariums on ray v. skate