Porbeagle
(Lamna nasus)
Status
IUCN Redlist Status
- Ireland – Critically Endangered
- Northeast Atlantic – Critically Endangered
- Worlwide - Vulnerable
Description
Porbeagle Description
The Porbeagle is dark grey on its dorsal side and white underneath. It has a pointed snout and a stocky body which can reach 3.5m long. The rear tip of its dorsal fin is abruptly white.
Porbeagles belongs to a family of sharks called mackerel sharks, all of which are endothermic which means they are warm-blooded, and thus can thrive in cooler waters than other elasmobranchs.
Porbeagle are listed by the IUCN as ‘Critically Endangered’ in Irish and Northeast Atlantic waters due to their late maturation and small litter size. They are also in demand commercially as they have high commercial value.
Small-eyed ray
(Raja microocellata)
Status
IUCN Redlist Status
- Ireland - Least Concern
- Northeast Atlantic – Near Threatened
- Worldwide – Least Concern
Description
Description
Also known as the painted ray, the small-eyed ray is true to its name with conspicuously small eyes.
It also has distinctive long pale bands along the wings, usually parallel to the edges.
This is a medium-sized skate which is found in sandy, inshore areas and remains localised throughout its life.
Undulate ray
(Raja undulata)
Status
IUCN Redlist Status
- Ireland - Endangered
- NE Atlantic - Near Threatened
- Worldwide - Endangered
Spotted ray
(Raja montagui)
Status
IUCN Redlist Status
- Ireland - Least Concern
- Northeast Atlantic – Least Concern
- Worldwide – Least Concern
Description
Spotted Ray Description
This is a small bodied skate which is also known as the Homelyn ray.
Juvenile Spotted rays are often confused with Blonde ray and Thornback ray. Juveniles are smooth while adults are prickly on the dorsal surface.
A row of thorns runs from the nape to the first dorsal fin. Often dark spots form rings around a pale circle on each wing, these are known as eye spots. Dark spots extend across the wings but do not reach the wing tips, unlike in the Blonde ray.
Females are oviparous, laying 60-70 eggs per year.
Tope
(Galeorhinus galeus)
Status
IUCN Redlist Status
- Ireland – Vulnerable
- Northeast Atlantic – Vulnerable
- Worldwide - Vulnerable
Description
Tope Description
Tope are medium-sized shallow water sharks. They are range in colour from bluish to grey dorsally to white underneath. They are slender with a long nose and a distinctive tab on their tail fin.
They can swim in schools, hence they are sometimes called “school sharks”.
Tope are long-lived, surviving as much as 55 years in the Northeast Atlantic.
Similar to Blue shark, Tope are vivparous producing live young, though it takes many years for them to be old enough to reproduce.
