When most people think of cartilaginous Pisces , sharksare the first to come to listen . But the class also plow skates and rays — two plane , kite - form species of ocean dwellers intimately related to sharks . They may look likewise at first glance , but skate and rays are surprisingly different .
For starters , both fish belong to the Batoidea sorting , a superorder of animate being secernate by their offstage - like thoracic fins , flat body , and underside lamella slit . However , rays and skates go todistinct orders . beam of light are split into one of three : Myliobatiformes ( stingrays ) , Torpediniformes ( electric shaft of light ) , and Rhinopristiformes ( shovelnose ray of light ) . Meanwhile , all skate go to the Rajiformes group .
TheNational Aquariumnotes that rays are typically larger than skates and usually have tenacious , whip - comparable tails with belittled or no dorsal quint . Some exception exist , like fresh water stingrays , which have hardy tails than their saltwater counterparts . ray also run to have one lobe per pelvic fin . As the stingray ’s moniker implies , the fish also has venomous barb on its tail .
Skates , on the other hired man , broadly speaking have short , thicker tails with two lobes per pelvic fin and little dorsal fins on their tails . Their tails and backs are also lined with thorny spikes , though they aren‘t venomous . Only a few rays , like the roughtail stingray , have similar construction on their platter and tails .
Rays and skates sharesimilar diet . Both fish are known to eat lowly Pisces the Fishes , seaworms , and mollusk like lucre , mussels , and pubic louse . stingray have flat plates of teeth stand for for crushing prey , while thepeacock - eye stingrayis one of the only non - mammals get it on to chew its food . Skates employ their tiny , pointed tooth to consume prey .
Perhaps one of the openhanded and most surprising differences between skates and rays lies in how they give nascence . Skates lay black , cappelletti - shaped egg cases . Rays give parturition to live whelp .
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