Knowra Batoidea Batoidea Batoidea is the group of cartilaginous fishes that includes rays, skates, and guitarfishes. Its members have flattened bodies and enlarged pectoral fins joined to the head.
Chondrichthyes : Chondrichthyes is the class of cartilaginous fishes, including sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Batoidea is one of the two major living lineages within this class.
Gill slit : A gill slit is an external opening through which water leaves a fish's respiratory system. Batoids direct water across their gills and out through openings on the underside.
Rajidae : Rajidae is a family of skates, a group of mostly bottom-dwelling batoids. Skates are one of the principal batoid lineages and are often adapted to life on the seafloor.
Shark : A shark is a cartilaginous fish belonging to the elasmobranch lineage outside Batoidea. Sharks are batoids' closest major living relatives, but generally retain a more streamlined body.
Elasmobranchii : Elasmobranchii is the group of cartilaginous fishes comprising sharks and batoids. Batoids belong to this lineage alongside sharks.
Ram ventilation : Ram ventilation is breathing driven by forward swimming that forces water through the mouth and across the gills. Many batoids can breathe while stationary, unlike fishes relying on forward-motion-driven water flow.
Myliobatiformes : Myliobatiformes is an order of batoids that includes stingrays, eagle rays, and manta rays. This diverse order includes many of the batoids with long tails or winglike fins.
Holocephali : Holocephali is a lineage of cartilaginous fishes that includes chimaeras and ratfishes. Chimaeras are the other major living cartilaginous-fish lineage, outside Elasmobranchii.
Cartilaginous skeleton : A cartilaginous skeleton is an internal framework made primarily of cartilage rather than bone. Like other cartilaginous fishes, batoids have skeletons built mainly from cartilage.
Electroreception : Electroreception is the detection of electrical fields by specialized sensory organs. Batoids use it to locate prey concealed beneath sand or mud.
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