Scientific name:

Raja clavata

About:

Thornback rays are regularly seen by divers. They have flattened bodies covered in blotches of colour to help them camoflague into the sand or mud or gravel. They have a long thorned tail. The males are smaller than the females.

How to identify:

<p>Flat bodies with yellow and brown patches on their backs. Long thorny tail and potruding eye sockets.</p>

Where:

Found all around the UK coast.

Fantastic facts:

Females can lay up to 150 egg cases every year. When the babies hatch, these cases are often washed up onto the beach.