Manta ray
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The manta ray, or giant manta (Manta birostris), is the largest of the rays, ranging up to 6.7 meters (22 ft) across its pectoral fins (or "wings") and weighing up to 1,350 kg (3,000 lb). It ranges throughout the tropical seas of the world, typically around coral reefs. Mantas are most commonly black above and white below, but some are blue on their backs. A giant manta's eyes are located at the base of the cephalic fins on each side of the head, and unlike other rays the mouth is found at the anterior edge of its head. To breathe, the manta has like other rays five pair of gills on the underside.
With distinctive "horns", or "cephalic fins" (from which the common name 'devil ray' stems), on either side of its broad head, the manta is a prized sighting by divers. These unique horns are actually structures made by the pectoral fins where a part breaks off during the embryological stage and moves foreward and surrounds the mouth, which makes them the only known example where jawed vertebrates have evolved novel limbs (the so-called six-footed tortoise (Manouria emys) has of course not actually six legs, only enlarged tuberculate scales present on their thighs that looks a bit like an extra pair of hind limbs). These flexible horns are also called cephalic fins and are used to direct plankton and water into their very broad and wide mouth. To make them more streamlined when swimming, they are able to curl them up.
To better swim through the ocean, they have evolved a diamond shaped body plan, using their pectoral fins as graceful "wings".
Mantas generally eat plankton, fish larvae and small organisms that are filtered out from the water by their gill rakers, a type of filter feeding that is called ram-jet feeding.
Taxonomically, the situation of the mantas is still under investigation. Three species have been identified: Manta birostris, Manta ehrenbergii, and Manta raya, but they are quite similar to each other, and the last two may just be isolated populations. The genus Manta is sometimes placed in its own family, Mobulidae, but this article follows FishBase, and places it in the family Myliobatidae, with the eagle rays and their relatives.
Mantas have been given a variety of common names, including Atlantic manta, Pacific manta, devil ray, devilfish, and just manta. Some people just call all members of the family stingrays.
Mantas have recently been captured on film while breaching [link]. This had been reported in the past, but without any conclusive evidence. In the last few years, sharks have also been photographed while leaping out of the water. As with sharks, the reason for this behavior in rays is currently unknown, though may be to dislodge loose dead skin & parasites when impacting back on the water.
See also
- Devil Rays for things named after the devil ray (manta ray).
- Manta (disambiguation), which includes things named after the manta ray.
References
- Marshall et al (2006). [Manta birostris]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is near threatened
- "[Manta birostris]." FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
- [Manta Ray entry] at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
- [Manta Ray FAQ] at the Reef Quest Center for Shark Research.
- ARKive - [images and movies of the manta ray (Manta birostris)]
- [The Flying Mobulas of the Sea of Cortez]
- [Manta Rays Archive]
- [Manta Pacific Research Foundation]
- [Manta Ray (Manta birostris) facts] - Wild Animals Online encyclopedia
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