Critters of the Chesapeake Bay

1. Critters of the Chesapeake Bay Skates & Rays

2. Skates & Rays Skates and rays are both cartilaginous fishes that are related to the sharks.

3. Skates & Rays All members have enlarged pectoral fins that are used for swimming much like birds in flight.

4. Skates & Rays Also, all members are bottom-dwellers and have their mouths on their underside or ventral surface.

5. Skates & Rays Skates, like the local clearnose skate, are fairly small compared to the stingrays. Rays are rarely over 2.5 feet long.

6. Skates & Rays Stingrays, on the other hand, can weigh in the hundreds of pounds.

7. Skates & Rays Stingrays have sharp spines on their elongate tails, while skates do not.

8. Skates & Rays These spines are not only poisonous, but they are covered with backward pointing barbs, much like a fish hook.

9. Skates & Rays The greatest danger, however, is from infection if stepped on not from the poison.

10. Skates & Rays Skates tend to have a tail with a small dorsal fin near the end of its tail, while the stingray’s tail is long and thin.

11. Skates & Rays Both stingrays and skates are bottom feeders where they eat crustaceans, mollusks, and other benthic organisms.

12. Skates & Rays Skates lay eggs like this egg case below. These can often be found along our ocean and bay beaches.

13. Skates & Rays Stingrays usually give birth to their offspring and do not lay eggs

14. Skates & Rays Certain types of stingrays can often be seen near the surface with their two pectoral fins out of the water.