Head to head
Starry Ray vs Thornback Ray
Starry Ray
VS Thornback Ray
The starry ray and the thornback ray are both prickly rays whose names describe their thorns, but they favour different temperatures and are slightly different in size.
| Starry Ray | Thornback Ray | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Amblyraja radiata | Raja clavata |
| Relationship | A small skate with a diamond-shaped body and a short, blunt snout | A medium-sized ray with a diamond-shaped body |
| Size | Usually under 70 cm long | Usually 60 to 85 cm long, though larger fish occur |
| Thorns | A back and tail studded with large, star-shaped, sharp-pointed thorns, with a row of especially large ones along the midline | A back and tail studded with prickly thorns, and larger spines in rows along the tail |
| Water temperature | Cold waters of the North Atlantic, on both sides of the ocean | Temperate shelf seas of the north-eastern Atlantic, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean |
| Diet | Shrimps, crabs, worms, and small fish found on the sea bed | Crabs, shrimps, worms, and small fish on the sand and mud |
| Egg cases | Egg cases with a horn at each corner, laid on the sea bed | Tough, rectangular egg cases with a horn at each corner |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable, with sharp declines in several areas, particularly the north-west Atlantic | Near Threatened, with numbers reduced in parts of its range |
Starry Ray vs Thornback Ray: common questions
Why is it called the starry ray?
Its back and tail are studded with star-shaped, sharp-pointed thorns.
Which one lives in colder water?
The starry ray, which lives in cold waters of the North Atlantic on both sides of the ocean.
Which one is more threatened?
The starry ray is Vulnerable, after sharp declines in several areas, whereas the thornback ray is Near Threatened.