Wildlife
Manta rays are one of the most easily identified fish off tropical shores, owing to their large, triangular pectoral 'wings' that can span up to nearly 7m. Several fish species, including wrasse and remora, share symbiotic relationships with manta rays, ridding the ray of parasites, dead skin and fallen food and sometimes hitching a ride in the process. Fins at the front of the manta ray's head are said to resemble devils' horns, resulting in the alternative names devilfish or devil ray.
Scientific name: Manta birostris
Rank: Species
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Chris Packham swims with manta rays
Plankton blooms of the Maldive Islands attract some ocean giants.
Plankton blooms of the Maldive Islands attract some ocean giants, that gorge on this microscopic feast. Amongst the great beasts of the sea, are magnificent manta rays and whale sharks.
Fulsome filters
Huge manta rays filter plankton when swarms rise to the surface.
One very big filter feeder is the manta ray, 18 feet across. It often feed at night when dense swarms of plankton more up towards the surface. The water is channelled into its mouth by the blades on either side of its head and then passes through filters in the slits on the sides of its throat.
Ocean wanderers
Satellite data reveals the huge range of giant mantas.
Satellite data reveals the huge range of giant mantas.
Life savers
Specialist cleaners give first aid to injured mantas.
Specialist cleaners give first aid to injured mantas.
Formation feeding
Mantas work together to maximise their catch.
Mantas work together to maximise their catch.
The Manta ray can be found in a number of locations including: Great Barrier Reef. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Manta ray distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Near Threatened
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2006
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
Manta rays are large eagle rays belonging to the genus Manta. The larger species, M. birostris, reaches 7 m (23 ft) in width while the smaller, M. alfredi, reaches 5.5 m (18 ft). Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. They are classified among the Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) and are placed in the eagle ray family Myliobatidae.
Mantas can be found in temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. Both species are pelagic; M. birostris migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while M. alfredi tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they swallow with their open mouths as they swim. Gestation lasts over a year, producing live pups. Mantas may visit cleaning stations for the removal of parasites. Like whales, they breach, for unknown reasons.
Both species are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Anthropogenic threats include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and direct harvesting for their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine. Their slow reproductive rate exacerbates these threats. They are protected in international waters by the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, but are more vulnerable closer to shore. Areas where mantas congregate are popular with tourists. Only a few aquariums are large enough to house them. In general, these large fish are seldom seen and difficult to study.
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