Thornback ray
Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758
NTNear Threatenedsharks and rays
The thornback ray (Raja clavata) is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup, belonging to the family Rajidae in the order Rajiformes. It is also called the Roker or Thornback skate, and its scientific name was given by Linnaeus, 1758.
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Quick facts about the thornback ray
The thornback ray lives in marine habitats. The IUCN Red List global assessment places it in the Near Threatened (NT) category, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the thornback ray
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the thornback ray live?
Not recorded
What is the thornback ray?
The thornback ray (Raja clavata), or thornback skate, is a species of ray fish in the family Rajidae.
From the Wikipedia article “Thornback ray” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thornback_ray&oldid=1351548488), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the thornback ray endangered?
The thornback ray is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the thornback ray classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classElasmobranchii
- orderRajiformes
- familyRajidae
- genusRaja
- SpeciesRaja clavata Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Cephaleutherus maculatus, Hieroptera abredonensis, Malacoraja clavata, Raia aspera, Raia clavata, Raia rhizacanthus, Raia rubus, Raja aspera, Raja bonaespeiensis, Raja capensis, Raja leiobatos, Raja pontica, Raja pontica, Raja rubus
Other names and names in other languages (63)
- RokerEnglish
- RokerEnglish
- Thornback skateEnglish
- Thornback skateEnglish
- raya clavudaAsturian
- racBreton
- rodellekBreton
- clavellCatalan
- bastina clavejadaCatalan
- clavelladaCatalan
- rajada punxosaCatalan
- cath fôrWelsh
- morgath stydsWelsh
- Morgathod StydsWelsh
- sømrokkeDanish
- DornrochenGerman
- KeulenrochenGerman
- NagelrochenGerman
- ΚαλκανόβατοςGreek
- raya comúnSpanish
- raya de clavosSpanish
- bastangaBasque
- Arraia gastakaBasque
- raie boucléeFrench
- תריסנית קוצניתHebrew
- dröfnuskataIcelandic
- razaItalian
- Raja petrusaItalian
- razza chiodataItalian
- dyglioji rajaLithuanian
- piggskateNorwegian Bokmål
- doornrogDutch
- Gewone rogDutch
- ruige rogDutch
- stekelrogDutch
- piggskateNorwegian Nynorsk
- piggrokkeNorwegian
- piggskateNorwegian
- raja nabijanaPolish
- płaszczka nabijanaPolish
- raja ciernistaPolish
- raiaPortuguese
- lengaPortuguese
- Raia lengaPortuguese
- raia pregadaPortuguese
- pisica de mareRomanian
- pisică de mareRomanian
- Скат шиповатыйRussian
- морская лисицаRussian
- или колючий скатRussian
- shipovatyi skatRussian
- raža trnjevkaSlovenian
- trnjeva kamenicaSlovenian
- rajaAlbanian
- dhelpra e detitAlbanian
- ragjaAlbanian
- shoriAlbanian
- knaggrockaSwedish
- dikenli vatozTurkish
- Скат колючийUkrainian
- Морська лисицяUkrainian
- Скат шипуватийUkrainian
- Ромбовий скат колючийUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the thornback ray
Other species in the same genus Raja.
Painted ray
Raja undulata
Brown ray
Raja miraletus
Homelyn ray
Raja montagui
Owl ray
Raja microocellata
Starry ray
Raja asterias
Blonde ray
Raja brachyura
CompareThornback ray vs Painted rayThornback ray vs Brown rayThornback ray vs Homelyn rayThornback ray vs Owl ray
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the thornback ray?
The thornback ray is a fish in the sharks and rays subgroup. It belongs to the class Elasmobranchii, order Rajiformes and family Rajidae.
What is the scientific name of the thornback ray?
The scientific name of the thornback ray is Raja clavata, in the genus Raja.
Is the thornback ray endangered?
No, it is listed as Near Threatened (NT) in the IUCN Red List global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
What habitat does the thornback ray live in?
The thornback ray lives in marine habitats.
Who named the thornback ray and when?
The thornback ray was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
What are other names for the thornback ray?
The thornback ray is also called the Roker and the Thornback skate.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Thornback ray (Raja clavata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/thornback-ray
“Thornback ray (Raja clavata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/thornback-ray.
@misc{thornback_ray_2026,
title = {Thornback ray (Raja clavata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/thornback-ray},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}