Blonde Ray (Raja brachyura) is a type of skate; skates are different from marine rays in that they lay eggs onto the sea floor. These eggs are inside egg cases that are often called Mermaid’s Purses due to their elongated rectangle shape – these egg cases have a yolk inside to sustain the pup until it is ready to chew its way out of the case and out into the sea.
Blonde rays can be identified by their yellowy colour and their spots which extend to the very tips of their wings. They are quite large in size and diamond-shaped.
Rays are related to sharks and share many of the same characteristics such as having a body made out of cartilage, rough skin made from dermal denticles (or ‘skin teeth’) to give them an aerodynamic advantage in the water, and gill slits to breathe.
Rays have small openings called spiracles above their eyes on top of their body which allows them to breathe if they are sitting on the floor.
Type
Fish
What do they eat?
Crustaceans, small fish
Size
125cm
Water Type
Cold saltwater
Where are we?
North Atlantic, UK coasts
See Us At
Rocky Shores
Captive Breeding
Most rays lay eggs. We collect them up from the bed of the tanks and nurture any that are fertilised so we can grow them into juvenile rays!