Barndoor skate
| Barndoor skate | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Barndoor skate, Dipturus laevis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Rajiformes |
| Family: | Rajidae |
| Genus: | Dipturus |
| Species: | D. laevis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Dipturus laevis (Mitchill, 1818) |
|
The barndoor skate, Dipturus laevis, is a species of marine cartilaginous fish in the skate family (family Rajidae) of the order Rajiformes. It is native to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, and is found from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the southern side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence south to North Carolina. The fish is one of the largest skates found in the North Atlantic Ocean, reaching lengths of up to 1.5 meters (5 ft). It is carnivorous, feeding on invertebrates and other fish found near the sea floor.
After peaking in the 1950s, the population of the barndoor skate dramatically declined in the 1960s and early 1970s as a result of overfishing. In 2003 it was listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union. Barndoor populations have increased substantially since 1990. In most cases, the barndoor skate is not intentionally harvested by the commercial fishing industry—it is usually considered by-catch in the trawling nets used to target other species of fish.
The barndoor skate is a flat-bodied fish with a large, disk-like body with sharply angled corners and a pointed snout. Its pectoral fins have evolved into broad, flat, wing-like appendages used to propel the fish through the water. These fins have a concave front edge with rounded posterior corners. Like sharks, it has a boneless skeleton made of cartilage, a tough, elastic substance composed of collagenous and/or elastic fibers, cells, and a firm, gel-like substance called the matrix. It has slot-like body openings called gill slits on the underside of the body beneath the pectoral fins that lead from the gills. The dorsal fins are close together and far removed from the tail. It has two eyes on its dorsal surface, located approximately 5.5 centimeters (2.2 in) apart.
...
Wikipedia