By: Kylie Brown 2.11
What IS a skate?
Abiotic Influences Depth Ocean Currents I like the bottom of the ocean in all parts of the world because I can blend in and hide from predators. Being deep in the ocean also provides me with the cold water that helps me live. I use the tides’ magnetic field to migrate and search for food.
Abiotic Continued Salinity Salt is very important to my ability to live in water. I only live in the ocean or at an estuary (a place where the river meets the ocean). I cannot live in bodies of freshwater because of the lack of salinity.
Impacting Biotic Life Predators? Meal time! I am sometimes hunted by sharks but because of my lack of bone (I am cartilaginous) it is hard to track who actually hunts me. My biggest enemy is a human because of over- exploitation of my species. I have strong teeth and jaws which help me eat yummy things like shellfish, worms, and even crabs!
I.B.L. Continued What do I look like? My Relationships I tend to be covered in gray/brown scales and have a tale that is shaped like a whip. Sometimes I have organs on my tails that help me shock those I feel threatened by. I have five gill slits to help me breath even though my mouth is on the underside of my body. I use my pectoral fins to move through the water. Scientists do not know a lot about how I interact with other sea animals but my cousin the manta lets bony fish in shallow waters pick parasites of its’ skin. It is very possible that I follow in the manta ray’s footsteps.
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