New Jersey Scuba Diving

Clearnose Skate

Raja eglanteria

Size: to 31" long

Habitat: Soft sandy bottoms, in depths from shallows to 300 ft.

Notes:
The Clearnose Skate has a noticeably pointy nose compared to the Little Skate, with a semi-transparent patch on either side of the snout.

Note the more pointed snout than the Little Skate.

Fishes of the Gulf of Maine

Skates & Rays

Skates and rays are related to sharks. Unlike flounders, these fish are flattened and lie on their bellies. Skates are harmless. Stingrays have one or more dangerous barbed stingers in the tail and will use them if molested. Finally, the Torpedo is an electric fish and can generate enough voltage to be dangerous. Some skates give birth to live young, while others lay their eggs encased in a horned Mermaid's Purse.

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American Lobster

Homarus americanus

Size: to 36" and 45 lbs. (record)

Habitat: subtidal to the edge of the continental shelf, in any sheltered spot

Notes:

Lobsters differ from shrimps in having three pairs of clawed legs, the first with very large claws. Southern "Spiny Lobsters" are only distantly related; freshwater crayfish are closer. Lobsters, or "Bugs", are mainly nocturnal, and feed primarily on living or freshly killed food rather than scavenging on carrion, as was once thought. Although they are predominantly solitary creatures, lobsters do have a sort of social life amongst themselves. Males are more aggressive than females and will form pecking orders among individuals in an area. Female lobsters apparently seek the protection of a male when molting, then mate afterward. Lobsters shed their shells once or twice a year, depending mainly on the temperature.

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