The Clearnose skate is very abundant in Delaware waters. It is most distinguishable by it's "clear nose" which you can see here and obviously is the reasoning behind the name. If you notice in this picture, my dad is holding the skate with a rag- Clearnoses don't sting like some stingrays but they do have sharp edges on their tails. My favorite aspect of the clearnose skate is it's mouth. If you flip the skate over you will discover it's mouth on it's underbelly and it resembles quite closely to human lips. I think this is adorable and I love to catch a glimpse when I catch one. They are usually pretty brown and mottled looking in color on-top and white underneath. The skates are easily identified as skates rather than a stingray due to their tail.
A clearnose's tail is thick rather than thin ( a stingray has a thin string-like whip tail) also a clearnose has large floppy pelvic fins located where the tail stretches out from the body. The skate usually is predominantly flat all the way across, while most stingrays (the kinds in the Delaware waters) have more bulky heads and eye shapes like the cownose ray.
Clearnose skates feed on crustaceans, shrimp and small fish, they are ambush feeders due to being demersal fish- which means they find the most comfort by resting right on the top surface of the sea floor and also use this as a feeding tactic to camouflage themselves. They are kind of like a suction cup, burrowing their pectoral fins slightly into the sand
. Fisherman certainly feel this "suction" when they're reeling a skate in.
When it comes to fishing, clearnose skates will literally bite anything, they aren't picky bait chompers and truly end up on Delaware Fisherman's hooks more than any other species, (oyster crackers probably are a close contender) .
Clearnose Skates give birth through egg sacks often referred to as mermaid purses.
