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Swedish rays and skates
In the seas around Sweden there exist about
14 different specie of skate and ray, mostly on the west and south coasts
and the southern Baltic. The thornback ray, common
skate och starry ray are the most
common specie. The thornback and
starry rays can be as large as 60-125 cm, while the common skate can grow to between 2-3 m. They live at a depth of between 10 till 1000 m, but during mating and egg laying they are usually found in shallower water.
Thornback ray
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Common skate
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Starry ray
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Mating
Rays and skates usually mate
during the spring. During courtship the male can follow the
female for hours and with his head try to tip her over onto
her back. When he finally suceeds, the couple will swim
belly against belly. Fertilization takes place within the
female.
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