This lifeform is found in the Pacific Ocean off California, Oregon and Washington.

Thornback Ray (Platyrhinoidis triseriata) was photographed off the coast of California. There are three rows of spines on its back and tail.

Guitar Fish (Family Rhinobatidae) are a group of raylike fish with the forward portion of their body appearing raylike, and the rear portion appearing more fishlike. There are about 30 different species of guitarfish.  Most guitarfish are less than 6 feet long. The largest guitarfish species can weigh over 500 pounds.

Rajiformes contains the skates, guitarfishes, and thornbacks. There are perhaps twenty-five known species. The following are well-known:

   Thornback              Platyrhinoidis triseriata California
   Brazil Guitarfish      Rhinobatos horkelli       S. Atlantic
   Atlantic Guitarfish    Rhinobatos lentiginosus   Worldwide
   Shovelnose Guitarfish  Rhinobatos productos      California
   Mediterranean G-fish   Rhinobatos rhinobatos     East Atlantic
   Banded Guitarfish      Zapteryx exasperata       Pacific

Sharks and rays (Elasmobranchi), cartilaginous fishes, deserve to be a class separate from the normal fish, in that they do not have a bone skeleton but rather a cartilage skeleton.

Fertilization is internal in this class which also separates them from the bony fish class. Although there are a few fresh water species, the majority of the species in this class are found in salt water. As of 2005, there were about 500 known species of sharks and about 600 known species of rays.

David Ebert, author of a recent book on sharks, rays, and chimaeras of California, counts a total of 988 described species in the class with about 150 additional species awaiting scientific description. He breaks down the described species to 410 species of sharks, 543 species of rays, and 35 species of chimaeras.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.