Fish
Flapper Skate
Dipturus intermedius · also called common skate
In a deep Scottish sea loch, a flapper skate glides low over the sea bed, an olive-grey giant two metres wide that was once common across Britain.
Overview
The flapper skate, Dipturus intermedius, is a Critically Endangered giant skate of the north-eastern Atlantic, now surviving mainly in western Scotland and Ireland. Its great size, slow life, and decline under trawling make it one of the most threatened fish of British waters.
A giant that has retreated
Once found right around Britain, the flapper skate is now largely confined to a few sea lochs and inshore waters, where marine protected areas offer it some safety.
Status
Critically Endangered, with a Scottish stronghold.
Flapper Skate: common questions
How big is a flapper skate?
It is one of the largest skates in the world, reaching more than two metres in length and weighing over a hundred kilograms.
Why was it once called the common skate?
It was once treated as a single species with the blue skate under that name, until scientists showed it was two species.
Why is it critically endangered?
It grows slowly, matures late, and lays relatively few egg cases, so it has been eliminated from much of its range by trawling and netting.
Where is the flapper skate found?
It lives on seabeds of the north-eastern Atlantic, now mainly in western Scotland and Ireland.