Thornback ray

Thornback ray (Raja clavata )

The Thornback ray (Raja clavata ) is the most common ray species of European seas. He lives on the coast of the East Atlantic from Norway to Namibia, the North Sea, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat. In addition, in the Mediterranean, in the southwestern Black Sea and possibly even in the extreme southwest of the Indian Ocean on the coast of South Africa, Mozambique and on the south coast of Madagascar.

Features

The body of the fish is rhombic, the muzzle short, wing-like pectoral fins pointed. The top is thorny and rough, brown and patterned with light and dark spots, the underside white. The tail bears two small dorsal fins far back and is provided with light and dark transverse bands. Characteristic is the center row slimmer, nail -like spines on back and tail top. Older animals get additional spines on the top and bottom of the wings. The males reach a size of 70 cm, females grow up to 120 centimeters long.

Way of life

Thornback ray hold on sandy and muddy soft sediments at depths of 20 to 300 meters, in the eastern Ionian Sea at depths of 300-577 meters. They feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, especially crustaceans, but also on small fish.

Like all Rajidae they are oviparous, that lay eggs. The mating season is in the spring. Some day, the females lay several weeks after an egg from a total of 50 to 170 in one year. The eggs are encased in a square, provided with stay sutures at each corner horn capsule, which are five to nine inches long and 3.4 to 6.8 inches wide. After four to five months, the young hatch at a body length of about twelve inches.