Broad skate vs Coachwhip ray

Amblyraja badia compared with Urogymnus granulatus

Key Differences

• Broad skate is Least Concern while Coachwhip ray is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Broad skate	Coachwhip ray
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Elasmobranchii	Elasmobranchii
Order	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)
Family	Rajidae	Dasyatidae
Genus	Amblyraja	Urogymnus
Species	Amblyraja badia	Urogymnus granulatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Broad skate and Coachwhip ray share a common ancestor at the Class level: Elasmobranchii.

Conservation Status

Broad skate

LC — Least Concern

Coachwhip ray

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Broad skate	Coachwhip ray
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Broad skate

The Broad Skate (Amblyraja badia) is a species in the genus Amblyraja. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species is recognized for its ecological significance within its native range.

Coachwhip ray

The coachwhip ray, Urogymnus granulatus, is a large elasmobranch in the family Urogymidae found across the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from the Red Sea and East Africa through South and Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific islands. It inhabits shallow coastal waters including coral reef flats, sandy lagoons, seagrass beds, and estuarine habitats, where it forages for benthic invertebrates and small fishes buried in the substrate. The coachwhip ray is characterized by an oval disc and a long, whip-like tail with one or more venomous spines at its base, giving the species its common name. The disc reaches up to 1.4 meters in width, making it one of the larger members of its family. Urogymnus granulatus is ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young after internal development, and has low reproductive rates that make populations slow to recover from exploitation. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to significant declines caused by intensive coastal fisheries across its range, particularly in South and Southeast Asia where it is commonly caught as bycatch or targeted for its valuable meat, skin, and gill plates in local markets. Habitat degradation from coastal development and coral reef decline compounds the threat to wild populations.