Animal profile

Big Skate

Beringraja binoculata

ChondrichthyesSoft bottoms of the continental shelf, from the intertidal to about 800 metresLeast Concern

Field profile

The big skate is the largest skate of the North American Pacific coast, reaching about 2.4 metres. It carries a dark eyespot on each wing and lays unusually large egg cases in shallow soft-bottom habitat.

Published field notes

2023-04-21

Big Skate

One big skate egg case can hold seven embryos

Nearly every skate seals a single embryo inside each horny capsule. The big skate is an exception: its unusually large cases routinely contain three or four young, and as many as seven have been recorded in one.

Read with evidence →