This ray is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Murmansk, Russia through Norway, southern Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the Celtic Sea, the northern North Sea and Skagerrak, to western Morocco and the Madeira archipelago,[2] but not in the shallow waters off England and Wales.

[4] Shagreen is a form of roughened untanned leather, typically dyed green and commonly made of the skins of sharks and rays.

The eyes and mouth are large; the teeth are pointed and number about 64 in the upper jaw and 56 in the lower.

The upper surface is rough in texture, with patches of large spines on the snout, around the eyes, and on the shoulder.

Like other skates reproduction is oviparous; the egg capsules are amber in color and oblong-shaped, with long, stiff horns at each corner.