mobula rays

There are 3 different rays in the mobula family there is a devil ray which is my favourite one and there are two manta rays the small one is called alfredi and the big one is called Birostris . we know a lot about manta rays but very littel about devil rays.

devil rays

mobula tarapacana

diet

every mobula ray eats plankton and other tiny tiny tiny things that then go to the gill rakers which colects all the small things then it shuts its mouth and coughs it back up and swallows .

It uses it's cephalic fins to channel food into it's mouth.

We have seen Alfredi and Devil Rays and the Devil Rays that we saw in St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean were super friendly. They would come to our boat and swim around with us for hours at a time. It felt like they were copying and following us and that they were curious about us.

We named this one Lucy.

MANTA RAYS

deep dives

Both manta and devil rays dive really, really deep. Scientists put trackers on their backs to find out how deep they go. They found that a devil ray swam down to 1.5km deep!

mating

Manta ray mating is triggered by the full moon. When mantas are mating the male swims close behind the female and the male will grab onto the females pectoral fin with its mouth and will flip himself upside down and touches her belly and release his sperm. After that they may stay or they may leave each other. Other males may come as well to try to get a mate.

Check out this video - the story is about a lost Manta Ray.

anatomy

dorsal fin

cephalic fin

pectoral fin

fun facts

We know very little about devil rays. I don't really know why.

Manta Rays are considered deep sea predators because they spend around 3/4 of their time down in the twilight zone hunting plankton and other small organisms.

Devil Rays and both species of Manta Rays have their own unique spot pattern like a fingerprint. This helps scientists identify individuals.

Threats

.The chines use manta gillsfor currying cansa but no one nose if it works.

Microplastics

Are dangerous to filter feeders such as Manta and Devil Rays. The plastics can build up inside the animal and stop it from being able to absorb nutirents

Drift Nets

Mantas get caught in nets that are being used to fish for other species. Then they drown because they can't move and get water through their gills.

Chinese Medicine

Fishing for Mantas has increased since Chinese medicine started using their gill rakers as a cure for cancer. There is no scientific evidence that it works.

Climate Change

Because climate change is warming the oceans this changes where and how much plankton is available for Mantas to eat. Because plankton is their main source of food this might mean less food is available for them.