Blue skate
Dipturus batis
A large skate that lives on the seabed and is seldom seen. No sighting is ever a promise, and for this species that is simply how it is.
Critically Endangered (IUCN, assessed 2021) means it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, after heavy fishing and very slow recovery.
Length
Up to about 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) for the blue skate on its own. Older figures such as 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in) in FishBase come from before it was split from the flapper skate
Weight
Not confirmed for the blue skate alone. FishBase lists up to 113 kg (249 lb), but that figure also predates the split from the flapper skate
Next to a person
A little shorter than an adult person is tall, with a wide flat body
What it eats
Bottom animals. Sources list crustaceans, clams, snails, bristle worms, cephalopods, and small to medium fish, including other skates.
Around people
Rarely met, give space
How it lives
It lives on the seabed, mostly at about 100 to 200 m, though it has been recorded from about 30 m down to 1,000 m. Females mature at about 1.23 m. They lay large egg cases, roughly 40 in a breeding season, each up to about 25 cm long without the horns. Hatchlings are up to about 22 cm long. FishBase rates its resilience as very low, with a population doubling time of more than 14 years.
Where it goes
The sources I read do not describe regular migrations. The species lives in the north-east Atlantic from Norway and Iceland south to Senegal, and its remaining strongholds are western Scotland and the Celtic Sea.
We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.
Populations
Global: Critically Endangered (IUCN, assessed April 2021). Until about 2009 to 2010 it was treated as one species with the flapper skate under the name common skate, so older records and catch figures mix the two. It is strictly protected in the EU. Strongholds are in western Scotland and the Celtic Sea. Numbers by country are not given in the sources I read.
Meet it respectfully
Blue skates live mostly below recreational dive depth, so meetings are rare. If you are lucky enough to see one, stay a calm distance away, keep clear of the seabed so you do not stir up silt, and never touch, chase, feed or bait it. I did not read any local rules, so follow your guide and local rules.
Fun fact
Tap the bulb to light it up.
Until research in 2009 to 2010, it was lumped together with the flapper skate as the common skate. They are now two species.
Its genus name Dipturus refers to the two dorsal fins near the tail.
Its egg cases are up to about 25 cm long without the horns, and Shark Trust gives about 21 cm as typical.
Blue skate in the Ocean Atlas
Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.
Travel with usComing soonTrusted referralExploringOn pause, story onlyEthics pass
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Denmark
France
Iceland
Ireland
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Sweden
United KingdomSources for this page
- Wikipedia, Blue skate
- FishBase, Dipturus batis
- The Shark Trust, Blue skate
- GBIF, Dipturus batis taxon record
- GBIF, IUCN Red List category, 2026
Facts checked 5 October 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.
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