Sealife guideThe giant mantaManta birostris

A giant manta ray drawn with sand by Maldivians

Taxonomy

Common name: Giant manta
French name: Raie manta, diable des mers
Scientific name: Manta birostris (Walbaum, 1792)
Family name: Myliobatidae
Order name: Myliobatiformes
Class name: Elasmobranchii

Description

The giant manta ray is the largest ray in the world reaching a maximum length of 30 feet. The giant manta ray has two large fins, called « wings », a short tail and two horns at the front that help direct the water it filters.

The giant manta ray is black on top

The giant manta ray is black on top with a white underside that is sometimes spotted with black, featuring five pairs of gill slits.

Range

The giant manta ray primarily lives in tropical oceans around the world.

Giant manta rays can be found in the Maldives, near the coast of Africa, in Oceania, south of Asia, along the northern coasts of South America, near Central America and also off the western coast of Spain.

Habitat

The giant manta ray is typically found between the surface and about 65 feet deep but it is generally closer to the surface.

The giant manta ray is rarely seen alone and is more commonly found in groups of a few individuals.

Diet

The giant manta ray primarily feeds on plankton in the water, which it directs with its two horns toward its mouth to filter out and expel through the gill slits on its underside. Giant manta rays also eat small fish.

The giant manta ray feeds on plankton by filtering seawater

To feed, the giant manta ray keeps its mouth wide open and « flaps its wings » peacefully while swimming in large circles or moving back and forth.

Giant manta rays sometimes approach coral reefs to find their food.

Reproduction

Giant manta rays are ovoviviparous. During reproduction, it is common for giant manta rays to leap out of the water to give birth to baby giant manta rays.

Did you know ?

A giant manta ray can weigh up to 6,600 pounds, measure up to 30 feet, and live for 20 years !

Giant manta rays do not travel alone ! It is common to see remoras, small fish, swimming above the giant manta ray.

Giant manta rays are capable of leaping out of the water.

Tips for observing

Giant manta rays are primarily found in areas rich in plankton located at the convergence of several ocean currents. Watch the water's surface, and you might be lucky enough to see the giant manta ray's wings breaking through.

Giant manta rays are primarily found in areas rich in plankton located at the convergence of several ocean currents

Admire these majestic rays either from the surface with just a mask, snorkel and fins or underwater with your diving gear, as giant manta rays gracefully glide through the deep blue with their mouths wide open to filter seawater.

Within the same family

Atlantic white-spotted eagle ray
(Aetobatus narinari)

Pacific white-spotted eagle ray
(Aetobatus laticeps)

Spotted eagle ray
(Aetobatus ocellatus)

Explore also

Halavi guitarfish
(Glaucostegus halavi)

Beaked guitarfish
(Rhinobatos schlegelii)

Shovelnose guitarfish
(Pseudobatos productus)

Eastern fiddler ray
(Trygonorrhina fasciata)

Black blotched stingray
(Taeniura meyeni)

Yellow stingray
(Urobatis jamaicensis)

Darkspotted stingray
(Himantura uarnak)

Panther electric ray
(Torpedo panthera)

Our latestUpdates

Mardi 14 Janvier 2025

Arrivée triomphale de Charlie Dalin !

Charlie Dalin a franchi la ligne d'arrivée du Vendée Globe 2024-2025, ce mardi 14 janvier 2025, aux Sables d'Olonne en un temps record de 64 jours, 19 heures, 22 minutes et 49 secondes, battant le précédent record de plus de neuf jours et devient le vainqueur de cette 10e édition de ce tour du monde sans escale et sans assistance. Il a bouclé ce tour du monde avec une vitesse moyenne de 17,8 noeud et 27 668 milles nautiques parcourus.

Jeudi 9 Janvier 2025

Fabuleuse Floride

La Floride, surnommée le Sunshine State, séduit par ses 1300 km de littoral aux plages de sable blanc, sa mer chaude et ses palmiers, évoquant une douceur de vivre balnéaire. Mais au-delà de cette image, elle révèle une personnalité riche avec ses trésors culturels, ses parcs thématiques, ses villes animées et ses quartiers branchés.

Lundi 16 Décembre 2024

Fabuleux Japon

Le Japon séduit les voyageurs par sa culture unique, ses infrastructures de qualité et son environnement sûr et ordonné. Ses paysages variés, allant des montagnes d'Hokkaidô aux îles subtropicales d'Okinawa, offrent une expérience enrichissante dans un cadre à la fois moderne et respectueux. En outre, avec des coûts de voyage actuellement plus bas qu'en Europe, le pays du soleil levant devient une destination de plus en plus accessible.

Photo of the Day

Poisson-scie
(7 espèces)