Ravioli-Sized Big Skate Babies Hatch At Birch Aquarium

SAN DIEGO, CA — Birch Aquarium recently welcomed Big Skate babies.

The ravioli-sized babies live in the nursery habitat in the Hall of Fishes. As they continue to grow, they will be moved to other locations in the La Jolla-based aquarium, which is part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Big Skates are the largest species of skates found in North America and can grow as long as 8 feet — about the size of a surfboard.

"Despite this large size, their flat features and sandy coloration enable them to seamlessly blend into the seafloor," Birch Aquarium officials said. "They have two large, black spots on their fins masquerading as oversized eyes. It's believed these 'eyes' make skates look larger, tricking potential predators from messing with them."

Skates closely resemble stingrays, but they do not have a stinging barb and do not give live birth.

Birch Aquarium received two egg cases from the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco. Big Skates lay large, dark brown egg cases that are made of a hard protein. Commonly referred to as a mermaid's purse, each egg case can contain multiple embryos.

While the Big Skate is listed as a species of "least concern" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, their large size and slow growth rate make them vulnerable to overfishing, according to Birch Aquarium.