One of the most amazing animals found in the oceans around the world is the manta ray. It is exotic and at the same time easily recognizable. Most of the time these giant animals swim alone but they do gather at times to feed together and at breeding grounds. When a group of manta rays are together they are called a squadron. Scientists are learning more about these oceanic animals all the time. What makes them so important? How do they live? What do they eat? I will try to answer these questions and many more.

Mantas only have babies every two to three years. They are pregnant for more than a year and the babies are born alive. A baby manta can be as big as three feet across when it is born. The babies are able to live on their own right away but it doesn’t reach maturity until it is about ten years old. A mature manta ray can weigh more than a car at 3,000 pounds or more. The part of the manta that sticks out to the side is called the pectoral fin but is often called its wings. From the tip of one pectoral fin to another on a giant manta ray can be 29 feet long. A manta ray can live for 50 years. If all of that is not enough about a manta’s size, it has the largest brain for a fish and is considered the second smartest animal in the ocean. 

There are 15 different ray species but only two are manta rays. The giant manta ray and the reef manta ray. Although the giant manta ray will visit the reef it lives most of its life in the open ocean. The reef manta ray lives closer to shore in shallower waters along coast lines. Both rays love to be cleaned. Along the reefs of the world there is a small fish known as a wrasse. The wrasses live on parasites that live on other fish. Rays will often find a group of wrasses and let them clean their skin. Both the giant and reef mantas have to swim constantly. This is the way water moves through their gills and provides oxygen. If they stop swimming they will die. Another thing the two manta rays have in common is their spots. Each has spots that are individual to that animal. Just like your fingerprints can be used to identify you, a manta ray can be identified by its spots.

Manta rays move through the water very gracefully. They use their pectoral fins to propel them forward. The fins are often called wings because they move them up and down just like a bird. Rays have no bones. Their skeleton is made from cartilage like a shark. That makes motion much easier. They normally move through the water at around 10 miles per hour but if they feel danger they can go twice as fast for a short time. Manta rays also fly. Well not really but they do jump out of the water and soar for a short time. Just like when dolphins and whales jump out of the water this is called breaching. Scientists don’t know exactly why they breach but they think it could be a form of communication with other rays. 

Under the endangered species act manta rays are listed as threatened. There is a combination of things that has caused this. Manta rays are often fished for food and their gill plates. Other manta rays get caught accidently when fishermen are fishing commercially. And pollution is a problem for the species. Since it takes so long to have babies it is hard to replenish the number of manta rays when they are killed. Many organizations are working together to do more research and promote conservation and education to keep these giants safe.