Life history and maximum weight database for rays (Class Chondrichthyes, Superorder Batoidea) up to June 2022

Database of available life history data for ray species (Class Chondrichthyes, Superorder Batoidea) including study location, maximum size, length at maturity, age at maturity, maximum age, growth k, litter size, gestation and breeding interval. Literature search up to June 2022 with references included (authors, date, and DOI). Prepared for use in estimating species-specific maximum intrinsic rate of population increase (rmax) in the paper: 'Tropical rays are intrinsically more sensitive to overfishing than the temperate skates'. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110003. Maximum weight data with references for 85 rays used in analyses for this manuscript also provided.Additional offspring length (disc width or total length) data sourced from Last et al., 2016 Rays of the World, Sharkipedia, and IUCN Red List Assessments as of December 2023 along with length-weight conversions sourced from FishBase for use in the manuscript entitled: 'Offspring size resolves a latitudinal population growth rate paradox in rays and skates'.