Not just Shark
Pictures: Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and
chimaera's from around the world. It began as a simple web based
field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter
different species of sharks and rays but it has slowly evolved into
a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark
diving and photography. There are now more than a thousand shark
pictures and sections on shark evolution, biology, and
conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a
constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark
links, and deeper in the site there are numerous articles and
stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so difficult to
check for updates, that new information and pictures are listed on
an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:
If you're looking for a
broader range of marine life pictures the following links represent
a new area that contains pictures on other marine organisms and on
marine habitats. This expansion of Elasmodiver is in its first
stages but will eventually include pages on everything from sea
stars to nudibranchs. Creating this portal will take time and for
now it consists of a token offering of fish pictures. Please return
regularly to enjoy the progress.
Identification: Highly
flattened body. Pointed, V shaped snout with mildly concave leading edges.
Pectoral fin tips pointed. Row of small spines from last third of back until
first dorsal fin on tail. Dorsum mottled brown to grey with smaller pale spots.
Prominent dark circle (eye) on each pectoral fin with dark centres. Two dark
bands curve across snout. Ventrum pale. Eyes small.
Size: Maximum
length 2.4 meters but usually .9 to 1.8 meters.
Habitat: Big skates are sometimes
seen on low lying kelp but are generally found onsand and mud bottoms from
inter-tidal to 120m. Inhabits coastal areas, estuaries, bays and continental
shelves.
Abundance and distribution:
Behavior: Usually
seen lying motionless on or under sand but occasionally seen actively foraging
over soft bottoms.
Reproduction: Oviparous.
Lays distinctively large (20 - 25cm) egg capsules in pairs on substrate.
Capsules may contain up to 8 skate embrios. Eggs hatch at around nine months.
Observations: Beachcomers
occasionally see Big skate moving in the shallows just under the surface.
Photographs: Esquimalt
lagoon and Madrona Point, Vancouver Island, Canada.
Similar species: Longnose
skate - Raja rhina distinguished by more pointed snout and pale centers
of occeli, California skate - Raja inornata, and Starry skate - Raja
stellulata.
Reaction to divers: Very
docile. Remains motionless unless molested. Try not to hover directly above the
body as this may cause it to bolt. I have fanned the silt off of one Big skate's
back and it still patiently remained while I took its picture.
Diving logistics:
After many cold and murky dives at likely spots on Southern Vancouver Island I
finally found this skate in 35ft of water at low tide off of Esquimalt lagoon
about 15mins Southwest of Victoria. Park anywhere along the beach. This bay has
a very shallow incline so to get to this depth from shore requires about a 20
minute kick underwater following a SW compass heading as there are no visible
landmarks under water at all. Probably the best area is just beyond the low
lying kelp where the bottom is clearly visible. This will be at about 35 to 45ft
depending on the tide. There is almost nothing else to see in this environment
except for the occasional crab and flounder. If you're lucky you may get buzzed
by a seal or two.
The closest place to get air is at Wilson Diving
on Sooke Rd about a 5 minute drive from the lagoon.
Other diving locations:
Big skate egg cases from Madrona Point,
Vancouver Island.
Diving with the Victoria Scuba Club, we recently found a field
of perhaps a few hundred to a thousand or more egg capsules in 40 to 80 feet of
water off the shoreline at Madrona point near Parksville, Vancouver Island. No
animals have yet been encountered but we will be monitoring the site in the hope
of photographing an adult. It has been suggested to us by Peter Bor (shark and
skate egg case specialist) that the egg cases were probably deposited in August and are likely to hatch some time in November after a 9 to 15 month
incubation period! The majority of the eggs were found at 45 to 60 feet.
Sightings submitted by Doug Graham from Redmond WA:
I have seen two Big skates so far this year. The
first time was July 1st at Clallam Bay Washington at about 8:00pm in about 25-30
feet of water. The bottom was sandy without any other life with in 20-30 feet. I
was solo diving and had no idea what I was looking at. It was a big one. I would
guess close to 120cm or bigger. It slowly got off the bottom and glided around
towards the deeper water and out of sight. The second time was last night (July
29th) at Alki Pipeline in Seattle. Time was around 7:30pm in about 15-20 feet of
water. It was in some low lying kelp on a sandy bottom.
References:
Coastal Fish Identification, California to Alaska. - Paul Humann - New World
Publications.
Pacific
Fishes of Canada - J.L.Hart. Fisheries Research board of Canada. Ottawa
1973.
Coastal
Fishes of the Pacific North West - Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell - Harbour
Publishing
