![]() Threatsīoth sub-species of manta ray are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Babies look like smaller version of adult manta rays when born and can immediately survive without parental care. Pregnancy lasts about 12 to 13 months and manta rays give birth to live pups. Reproductionįemale manta rays hit sexual maturity at around eight to 10 years old and tend to give birth once every couple of years, usually to one pup, or occasionally two. Studies have also shown that manta rays are able to create mental maps of their environment, through smell and visual cues, indicating highly developed long-term memory. Studies have shown that manta rays may recognize themselves in the mirror, an ability indicative of high cognitive function, also shown by dolphins, primates, and elephants. Manta rays have the largest brain-to-size ratio of any cold-blooded fish. Many individual manta rays return to the same stations over and over. Manta rays make regular visits to cleaning stations-spots on a coral reef where sea animals go to be cleaned by smaller creatures-where they stay still for several minutes while cleaner fish remove parasites and dead skin. They’re considered predators and hunt deep below the surface of the sea. Giant manta rays live alone or in small groups, typically congregating to feed. They use creative techniques when feeding, often doing repeated somersaults to stay in a single spot that is packed with krill, or chain-feeding-following each other in a circle, mouths open, to create a cyclone effect, trapping food in a spiral. Habitat and feedingīoth species of manta ray are filter feeders: they swim with their mouths wide open, drawing in zooplankton and krill, which they sift through rows of tiny rakes that line their mouths called gill plates. While the smaller reef manta has an impressive wingspan of about 11 feet wide on average, the giant oceanic manta ray-the largest species of ray-can have a wingspan of up to 29 feet. In 2008, researchers discovered that there are actually two distinct species: the reef manta ray, which tends to live along coastlines in the Indo-Pacific, and the giant oceanic manta ray, which lives in all the world’s major oceans, spending most of its life far from land. Manta rays have two horn-shaped fins protruding from the front of their heads, which has also given them the nickname “devil fish.”įor decades, scientists thought there was just one species of manta ray. “Manta” means blanket or cloak in Spanish, describing the look of the animals’ large, flat, diamond-shaped bodies, which are characterized by triangular pectoral fins. The sea creatures live in tropical, subtropical, and temperate ocean waters across the globe. They are characterized by their triangular wings and the fins on the either side of their mouths.Manta rays-highly intelligent and highly threatened-are the largest rays in the world. Giant manta- Mobula birostris-are found in temperate, tropical and subtropical waters around the world. We have seen gray whales with babies and pods of up to a 100 spotted dolphins that would run with the boat-the sea life is incredible to view in the wild." "We knew it was huge and never have experienced Giant Manta. "We saw a commotion on top of the water headed right for us," he told Newsweek. The sheer feeling of curiosity and respect was mutual."Īgren said he was fishing for red snapper with his family when he saw the giant ray. A few times, it would get as close at two foot from the boat. "This magnificent Ray would repeatedly ease closer and closer rising as high as it could in the water peering over each wave at me. I felt that I had to look quick because he would dive and be gone. "As I eased over to it, I was amazed at this beautiful creature with his prominent head and wide wingtips. "I was out on the jet ski looking for dolphin as I typically do when I saw what appeared to be a couple of dorsal fins oddly lingering on the top," Files said. While individuals of this species-the largest of all the rays-can grow up to 30 feet in width, this one was estimated to be about 10 feet. The giant manta was spotted off the coast of Orange Beach. The giant manta off the coast of Alabama.
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