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Marine Dimensions

Connecting people with our marine world

  • About Us
  • About the Wildlife
    • What can we find on the beach?
    • Ocean Animal Fact Files
      • Sharks and Rays
        • Small Spotted Catshark Fact File
        • Bull Huss Fact File
        • Thornback Ray Fact File
        • Spotted Ray Fact File
        • Small Eyed Ray Fact File
        • Blonde Ray Fact File
        • Cuckoo Ray Fact File
        • Undulate Ray Fact File
        • Flapper Skate Fact File
        • White Skate Fact File
  • Marine Conservation Projects
    • Purse Search Ireland
      • What is a Mermaid’s Purse?
      • Identifying Shark and Ray Eggcases
        • How to Identify a Mermaid’s Purse
      • Reporting your Mermaid’s Purse Sightings
      • Mermaid’s Purse Sightings Form
    • Seal Pup Rescue in Bray
    • What to do if you find a seal pup on the beach
    • What to do if you find a whale, dolphin or porpoise on the beach
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      • Do Marine Biologists Have to SCUBA Dive?
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Thornback Ray Fact File

Thornback-Ray-Raja-clavata
Thornback Ray, Raja clavata.
Artwork: Sinead Begley

Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Raja clavata

Other Common Names: Thornback Skate, Maiden Ray, Rough Ray.

Gaelic Names: Scite garbh, Liopa rotha, Rotha garbh.

Conservation status: Listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as Near Threatened globally.

Distribution: From West Africa to Scandinavia throughout the north east and eastern central Atlantic. It is also found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Habitat: Found over muddy, sandy and gravel areas, rarely on rough ground. Inhabits shelf and upper slope waters up to 1020 m in depth, although most common in coastal waters between 10 – 60 m.

Lifespan: Maximum reported age is 15 years.

Diet: Bottom dwelling creatures, especially crustaceans and small fishes.

Predators: Seals, humans.

Reproduction: An egg-laying species of ray or skate, with females laying up to 170 eggs per year (although most produce around 48-74). Adults may move in to shallow nursery areas to spawn and lay their eggs in winter, spring or summer, depending on their location. Eggs are deposited in pairs and pups hatch after 4-5 months.

Thornback Ray eggcases are frequently washed up on beaches around Ireland and Britain.

Thornback-Ray-Eggcase

This eggcase has lateral keels and horns that extend for about half the length of the capsule. The purse fills an adult’s palm.

If you find one of these eggcases on the seashore, please do report it to your local shark and ray sightings scheme. You can also learn how to identify any eggcases you find here.

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Choosing the Right Field Guide for the Seashore

The number one resource that we recommend through our work are field guides that we use for identifying shells and animals on seashore excursions. There are lots of guides out there to choose from but you will need to find a guide or species identification key that is right for you.

Check out our virtual Marine Experience workshop!

Find out more or make a booking at: The Virtual Marine Experience

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