The Birch Aquarium welcomed some new guests this week — ravioli-sized newborn Big Skates, who will live in the nursery habitat in the Hall of Fishes.
Big Skates are the largest species of skates found in North America and can grow as long as eight feet — about the size of a surfboard.
"Despite this large size, their flat features and sandy coloration enable them to seamlessly blend into the seafloor," aquarium officials said. "They have two large, black spots on their fins masquerading as oversized eyes. It's believed these `eyes' make skates look larger, tricking potential predators from messing with them."
Skates closely resemble stingrays, but differ in several major ways — skates do not have a stinging barb and do not give live birth.
While the Big Skate is listed as species of "least concern" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, their large size and slow growth rate make them vulnerable to overfishing.
The aquarium received two egg cases from the Aquarium of the Bay. Big Skates lay large, dark brown egg cases that are made of a hard protein. Commonly referred to as a mermaid's purse, each egg case can contain multiple embryos.
As the skates continue to grow, they will be moved to other locations in the aquarium.
The Birch Aquarium is part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. More information can be found at https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/.
