# Giant oceanic manta ray (*Mobula birostris*)

Manta Rays are gentle giants that swim gracefully through the water! They have large, flat bodies and wing-like fins, and they eat tiny plankton.

- **Category:** [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fish)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Tropical to temperate seas, from the surface to deep water
- **Also known as:** Giant Manta

![Manta Ray](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771425824/objects/4724.jpg)

## Appearance

The Manta Ray has a large, flattened, diamond-shaped body with broad, wing-like pectoral fins. Its back is typically dark grey or black, contrasting with a pure white underside, often marked with unique dark spots. Distinctive horn-like cephalic lobes protrude from its head.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Elasmobranchii
- **Order:** Myliobatiformes
- **Family:** Mobulidae
- **Genus:** Mobula

## Giant manta, up close

The giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris), also called the oceanic or giant manta, is the largest ray in the world, with a wingspan of at least 7 m. It filter-feeds on zooplankton in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas, often diving deep at night to find food. Long placed in its own genus, Manta, it was moved to Mobula, alongside the devil rays, in 2018.

Also called: Oceanic manta ray, Giant manta ray, Pacific manta ray, Pelagic manta ray, Chevron manta ray, Devilfish (old name).

The biggest ray on Earth: a gentle plankton-eater with 7 m wings, a big brain and a belly pattern like a fingerprint. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Plankton Funnel** (≈73% of its food from the deep): Mouth wide open and head fins unrolled, a giant manta funnels plankton-rich water through its gills and sieves out the food. [3][6][20][7][1]
  - Its prey includes krill, copepods, shrimp, crab and shrimp larvae, fish eggs and sometimes small fish.
  - Chemical clues in the muscles of giant mantas from Ecuador suggest that on average about 73% of their food comes from deep-water prey, and only 27% from surface plankton.
  - The filter uses “ricochet separation”: food bounces off it instead of clogging it.
  - Mantas feed in several ways, including tight somersaults and long head-to-tail feeding chains.
  - Where its food comes from (Ecuador): Deep-water (mesopelagic) prey ≈73%; Surface plankton ≈27%
- **Fin Unroll** (3 pairs of paired fins): Cruising, a manta keeps its head fins rolled up like horns. To feed, it unrolls them into paddles on either side of its mouth. [3][2][21]
  - When feeding, mantas hold their head fins in an “O” shape and open the mouth wide.
  - In captive giant mantas, the way the fins were held showed whether a manta was ready to feed, prompted by the sight or smell of food.
  - With these head fins, manta rays have three pairs of appendages: wings, pelvic fins and head fins.
  - Rolled up, they look like horns, which is where old names such as “devil ray” come from.
- **Belly-Spot ID** (2,803 mantas identified in Ecuador): The spots on a manta’s white belly form a pattern unique to each animal. Divers’ photos work like fingerprints. [22][23][14][3]
  - Researchers in Ecuador told apart 2,803 different giant mantas from belly photos taken in 2005–2018.
  - Software such as Manta Matcher compares a new belly photo with a whole database of them.
  - Photo-ID lets scientists count mantas and follow individuals without touching them.
  - The patterns are thought to last for life, but two captive mantas hint that they may change as a manta grows, so researchers stay careful.
- **Breach** (3 leading ideas why; still debated): Mantas sometimes leap clear of the water and crash back down. Nobody knows for sure why. [21][1][11]
  - Ideas include courtship displays, signals to other mantas and shaking off skin parasites.
  - During courtship, a female racing ahead of a line of males may even leap from the water.
  - Smaller devil ray relatives leap more than 2 m into the air, sometimes in their thousands. Scientists think that is mostly communication.
- **Deep Diver** (1,082 m deepest tagged dive): By day a giant manta often stays near the surface. At night it dives deep, following plankton that rises and sinks every day. [24][3][25][26][19]
  - A satellite-tagged giant manta off Japan reached 1,082 m. Tags show the species can dive deeper than 1,000 m.
  - Off Peru, tagged mantas stayed in the top 2 m by day and swam up and down through the water at night, coming back up to warm up.
  - In New Zealand, tagged mantas spent most of their time shallower than 5 m, with occasional dives to 365 m.
  - A heat-exchanging net of blood vessels around the brain may help it cope with cold, deep water.
  - Giant manta dives: Deepest tagged dive (Japan) 1,082 m; Common night dives 200–450 m; Occasional dives (New Zealand) 365 m; Daytime cruising (Peru) < 2 m
- **Big Brain** (122 g brain of a 165 kg manta; still debated): Mantas have big brains for fish. How clever they are, and why the brain is so big, are still debated. [18][19][27][3][28][29]
  - In a 2011 study, a giant manta’s 122 g brain was the heaviest of any fish measured so far, though for its body size it was about average.
  - A net of blood vessels around the brain may warm it. One scientist suggests the big brain itself makes heat, helping it work in cold water.
  - Captive giant mantas seemed to learn where food would appear, as if building a mental map.
  - A 2016 aquarium study reported mantas acting unusually in front of a mirror. Other scientists criticised it, so self-recognition in mantas is not proven.
- **Wingspan** (7 m+ wingspan): The biggest ray in the world. Its “wings” (pectoral fins) span at least 7 m, and it flies through the water by flapping them. [4][16][11][30][31][12]
  - Most adults measure 4–5 m across. Unconfirmed reports go up to 9.1 m.
  - The biggest weigh about 2 tonnes.
  - Females grow bigger than males.
  - It can never stop swimming, because water must keep flowing over its gills.
  - Wingspan: Giant oceanic manta (at least) 7 m+; Atlantic manta (largest measured) 4.8 m; Reef manta (largest measured) 4.3 m
- **Ocean Wanderer** (≈2,500 km longest tracked trip; still debated): Some giant mantas have been tracked swimming well over 1,000 km. Others stay in one region for years. How far most of them roam is still being worked out. [3][32][33]
  - Tagged giant mantas have travelled from Mozambique to South Africa (1,100 km), from Peru to the Galápagos (about 1,300 km), and from New Zealand about 2,500 km into the Pacific and back.
  - But mantas tagged at four Indo-Pacific sites made no long migrations, and their genes and diets suggest they stay in their home areas for years.
  - Genetic studies find giant mantas around the world more closely connected than reef mantas.
  - No photo-ID match has yet shown a manta crossing from one ocean to another.
  - Longest tracked trips: New Zealand → Pacific and back ≈2,500 km; Peru → Galápagos ≈1,300 km; Mozambique → South Africa 1,100 km; Young manta in the Red Sea 525 km

### Body parts

- **Head fins** (3 pairs of paired fins) [1][2][3]
  - These “horns” are cephalic (head) fins. Rolled up while cruising, they unroll into paddles that funnel plankton into the mouth.
  - NOAA notes that they make manta rays the only animals with a backbone that have three pairs of appendages.
  - In captive giant mantas, the way they were held showed whether a manta was ready to feed.
- **Mouth** (Dark inside, unlike a reef manta) [2][4][3][5][6]
  - Wide and right at the front of the head.
  - In giant mantas the mouth is shaded dark grey to black. Reef mantas have a white mouth.
  - It has tiny teeth, but they aren’t used for feeding.
  - Stomachs from the Philippines held krill, copepods and small lanternfish.
- **Gills** (5 pairs of gill slits) [3][7][8][9]
  - Five pairs of gill slits sit on the underside.
  - Inside, gill plates sieve out the food. Food “ricochets” off the filter instead of clogging it, so even bits smaller than the gaps are caught.
  - These gill plates are what fishers are after: dried, they are sold as a tonic in some Asian markets.
- **Eyes** [2][3][10]
  - One on each side of the head.
  - Captive giant mantas got ready to feed at the sight or the smell of food.
  - In captive mantas, the skin around the eyes could lighten or darken within minutes.
- **Back** (T shaped shoulder marks) [4][11][12][13][3][10]
  - Black, with two white triangular shoulder patches whose front edges form a straight line: a black “T”. Reef mantas have a blurrier “Y” or “V”.
  - The skin is covered in tiny prickly denticles, rougher than a reef manta’s.
  - Some giant mantas are almost all black (melanistic), and a few are mostly white (leucistic).
  - In captive mantas, the white patches brightened or faded within minutes before feeding and during social encounters.
- **Belly** (1 of a kind spot pattern) [4][2][14][3][15]
  - White, with dark spots mostly on the lower belly. Giant mantas rarely have spots between the gill slits.
  - Each manta’s spot pattern is unique, so photos of bellies identify individuals.
  - The back edges of the wings are shaded grey underneath.
  - Giant remoras often hitch a ride, usually one or two at a time on giant mantas in the Maldives.
- **Wings** (7 m+ wingspan) [16][4][11]
  - The “wings” are huge pectoral fins: at least 7 m from tip to tip, with unconfirmed reports up to 9.1 m.
  - Most adults measure 4–5 m across, and females grow bigger than males.
  - A manta flaps them to “fly” through the water, and it can never stop: it needs water flowing over its gills to breathe.
- **Tail** (0 working stings) [17][4][3]
  - Short and whip-like.
  - At its base is a knob-like bulge with a leftover (vestigial) spine inside. It cannot sting.
  - Only the giant manta has this tail thorn. Reef mantas don’t.
- **Brain** (122 g in a 165 kg manta) [18][19][3]
  - In a 2011 study, a 165 kg giant manta had a 122 g brain, the heaviest of any fish measured so far.
  - For its body size, though, the brain was about as big as expected.
  - A net of blood vessels around the brain (a rete mirabile) may work like a heat exchanger and keep the brain warm in cold, deep water.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wingspan | 7 m+ | disc width; most adults are 4–5 m; A reef manta tops out at about 4.3 m [16][4][12] |
| Weight | ≈2 t | for the biggest; an old 1916 record claims 2.7 t [4][16] |
| Deepest dive | 1,082 m | tagged manta off Japan; night dives often reach 200–450 m [24][3] |
| Longest trip | ≈2,500 km | tracked from New Zealand over 310 days [3] |
| Brain | 122 g | in a 165 kg giant manta [18] |
| Deep food | ≈73% | of the diet from deep-water prey (Ecuador) [20] |
| Newborn | 1–2 m | wide at birth; one pup at a time; Grows to 7 m or more [3][16] |
| Pregnancy | 12–13 months | estimated from reef manta data [3] |
| Grown up | ≈8.6 yrs | female age at maturity; first pup at about 12.6 years [36] |
| Lifespan | ≈40–45 yrs | estimated, based on reef mantas [4][2][3] |

### Photos

- [The chevron form: a black “T” between white shoulder patches. Ko Lanta, Thailand](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015_01_Koh_Lanta_22_white_back_(16609729375).jpg) (photo: Lakshmi Sawitri, CC BY 2.0)
- [A black (melanistic) giant manta at Socorro, Mexico](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manta_melanistic.jpg) (photo: Steve Laycock, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [The white underside of a chevron giant manta, Socorro, Mexico](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oceanic_Manta.jpg) (photo: Steve Laycock, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Gill slits, belly spots and a hitchhiking remora](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015_01_Koh_Lanta_25_smooth_belly_(16609112282).jpg) (photo: Lakshmi Sawitri, CC BY 2.0)
- [Heading to a cleaning station, Ko Lanta, Thailand](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015_01_Koh_Lanta_27_entering_cleaning_station_(16422545698).jpg) (photo: Lakshmi Sawitri, CC BY 2.0)
- [A giant manta passes over a diver at Socorro, Mexico](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giant_oceanic_manta_ray_with_diver.jpg) (photo: Elias Levy, CC BY 2.0)
- [Giant manta in Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Thailand](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giant_oceanic_manta_ray.jpg) (photo: Daniel Sasse, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [T-shaped shoulder marks on a giant manta in the Galápagos, Ecuador](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mobula_birostris_427433779.jpg) (photo: Georgina Jones, CC BY-SA 4.0)

### Questions

- **How big is a giant oceanic manta ray?** It is the largest ray in the world. Its wingspan (disc width) reaches at least 7 m, most adults are 4–5 m across, and the biggest weigh about 2 tonnes. Unconfirmed reports go up to 9.1 m. [16][4]
- **Do manta rays sting or bite?** No. Mantas have no working sting: the giant manta only has a small leftover spine sealed in a knob at the base of its tail. Its tiny teeth aren’t used for eating, and it is listed as harmless to people. Still, watch from a distance and never touch or chase one. [4][5][17][2]
- **What do giant manta rays eat?** Zooplankton such as krill, copepods and shrimp, and sometimes small fish. Chemical studies in Ecuador suggest about 73% of their food comes from deep-water prey, probably caught on night dives. [3][6][20][25]
- **Why do manta rays jump out of the water?** Nobody knows for sure. Ideas include courtship displays, signals to other mantas and shaking off skin parasites. [21][11]
- **How long do manta rays live?** Probably about 40–45 years. The estimate comes from reef mantas, because giant mantas are hard to follow for their whole lives. [4][2][3]
- **Are giant manta rays endangered?** Yes. The IUCN lists the giant oceanic manta ray as Endangered, mainly because of fishing for its gill plates and bycatch. Many countries protect it, and international trade is controlled under CITES. [41][3][2]
- **What is the difference between a giant manta and a reef manta?** The giant manta is bigger (at least 7 m against about 4.3 m), lives more in the open ocean, and has sharp T-shaped shoulder patches, a dark mouth and belly spots mostly low on the belly. The reef manta has blurrier Y- or V-shaped patches, a white mouth and spots between its gill slits. [16][4][12][3]
- **Why is it called a manta?** Manta is Spanish for a blanket or cloak, which is what the wide, flat ray looks like. Old names such as devilfish and devil ray come from its horn-like head fins. [53][37][21]

### Giant manta ray myths and facts

Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer.

- "Manta rays can sting you, like stingrays." **Myth!** Mantas have no working sting. The giant manta only has a small leftover spine sealed inside a knob at the base of its tail, and it is listed as harmless to people. [4][3][17]
- "Manta rays are dangerous “devilfish”." **Myth!** “Devilfish” and “devil ray” are old names inspired by the horn-like head fins. Mantas are harmless filter-feeders; it is boats and fishing gear that hurt mantas. Watch them from a distance and never chase or touch one. [37][21][17][2]
- "The giant manta is the biggest fish in the sea." **Myth!** It is the biggest ray, at least 7 m wide. The biggest fish is the whale shark, a filter-feeding shark measured at up to 18.8 m long. [16][38]
- "Every manta has its own belly pattern, like a fingerprint." **Fact!** The dark spots on each manta’s belly form a unique pattern. Researchers photograph bellies to tell individuals apart, even using pattern-matching software. [2][14][23]
- "Manta rays have the biggest brain for their body size of any cold-blooded fish." **Myth!** A giant manta’s brain was the heaviest of any fish measured in a 2011 study, but for its body size it was about as big as expected. And a manta’s brain may not be cold at all: a net of blood vessels seems to warm it. [18][19]
- "Manta rays recognise themselves in a mirror." **Not proven!** A 2016 study of captive mantas reported unusual behaviour in front of a mirror, but other scientists criticised how it was done. Nobody has shown it convincingly. [28][29]
- "Giant mantas can swim more than 1,000 km." **Fact!** Tagged giant mantas have swum 1,100 km, about 1,300 km and about 2,500 km. But mantas tagged elsewhere stayed in their home region, so not every manta travels that far. [3][32]
- "Manta gill plates are an ancient medicine." **Myth!** Traders sell dried gill plates as a cure for all sorts of illnesses, but they are a new addition to traditional Chinese medicine and are rarely prescribed by its practitioners. The trade has driven steep falls in manta numbers. [8][3]

### Giant manta ray records

Superlatives and record holders, each checked against its source.

- Largest ray in the world: Giant oceanic manta ray, 7 m+ (disc width; unconfirmed reports up to 9.1 m) [16][2]
- Heaviest fish brain (2011 study): A 165 kg giant manta, 122 g (the heaviest of all fish measured so far, though average for its body size) [18]
- Largest known population: Coastal Ecuador and Peru, ≈22,316 (estimated from 2,803 mantas photo-identified in 2005–2018) [22]
- World’s largest manta sanctuary: Indonesia (2014), ≈6 million km² (fishing and trade of both manta species banned in all Indonesian waters) [3]
- Longest tracked trip (NOAA review): A giant manta tagged in New Zealand, ≈2,500 km (travelled north-east over 310 days, then came back) [3]
- Among the slowest to recover: Manta rays, 1 of the lowest of 106 (maximum population growth rate, compared with 106 sharks and rays) [39]

### Life of a giant manta ray

A slow life: one big pup at a time, and a long wait to grow up.

- **Birth**: One big pup. After a pregnancy of about 12–13 months, a mother gives birth to a single pup about 1–2 m wide, with its wings rolled up. It can swim properly after a few minutes. [3][1][21]
- **From day one**: On its own. Mantas get no care from their mother. Young mantas turn up in shallow coastal waters in a few places, which may act as nurseries. [3][1]
- **≈3.5–4 m wide**: Males grow up. Males become adults at about 3.5–4 m across. [3][36]
- **≈8.6 years**: Females grow up. Females mature later and bigger, at about 4.5 m across. [36][3]
- **Courtship**: Courtship trains. Several males follow a female in a long line. In the Maldives, 90% of manta courtship was seen at cleaning stations. [1][35]
- **≈12.6 years**: First pup. In the Philippines, females had their first pup up to 4 years after growing up, at about 12–13 years old. [36]
- **Every 2–5 years**: Another pup. Most estimates give one pup every 2–5 years, so a female may have only 4–7 pups in her whole life. [11][2][3]
- **≈40–45 years**: A long life. Lifespan is estimated at about 40–45 years, based on reef mantas. [4][2][3]

### Giant manta cleaning stations

Cleaning stations are spots on a reef where small fish pick parasites and dead skin off bigger visitors. Giant mantas come too, and many come back.

- **3** cleaner fish to know. Among the cleaners of giant mantas are bluestreak cleaner wrasse, moon wrasse and, in Mexico, clarion angelfish. [3][1]
- **23** mantas came back. In Raja Ampat, Indonesia, 23 giant mantas returned to the same cleaning stations in at least two different years, even though giant mantas visit them less than reef mantas do. [3][4]
- **7 of 15** regular visitors. At Monad Shoal, a seamount in the Philippines, 7 of 15 identified giant mantas were back in the following year. [3]
- **90%** of courtship at cleaning sites. Cleaning stations are meeting places too: in the Maldives, 90% of 229 manta courtship events happened at them. [35]
- **Feed or clean?** a daily choice. In the Philippines, mantas visited cleaning stations when the sea was poor for feeding, and stayed away when plankton gathered. [40]

### Are giant manta rays endangered?

Yes. Fishing for their gill plates, and as bycatch, has caused steep declines, and mantas breed too slowly to bounce back fast.

- **IUCN Red List:** Endangered (EN) (Population decreasing). Listed as Endangered because populations have fallen and are expected to keep falling, mainly because of fishing. The United States also lists it as Threatened (2018). [41][17][2]
- IUCN Red List 2022 (assessed November 2019)
- **Threat: Gill-plate trade** (≈130,000): Dried gill plates are sold as a tonic called pengyusai. In 2013 the biggest market, in Guangzhou, China, used an estimated 130,000 manta and devil rays a year (about 4% of them mantas). [8][9]
- **Threat: Caught by accident** (30 fisheries): Mantas get caught in nets and lines meant for other fish: one review found 30 fisheries in 23 countries catching manta and devil rays as bycatch, and 13 targeting them. [42][2]
- **Threat: Steep local declines** (−89%): At Cocos Island, Costa Rica, divers saw 89% fewer mantas over two decades, even inside a protected park. Manta landings in parts of Indonesia fell by 71–95%. [43][3]
- **Threat: Slow breeders** (1 pup): One pup every few years means very slow recovery: manta rays have one of the lowest population growth rates of 106 sharks and rays compared. [39][36]
- **Threat: Boats and ropes**: Mantas spend much of their time near the surface, where boats can hit them and ropes, nets and rubbish can tangle them. [2][25]
- **Helping: Trade rules** (CITES II): Since 2014, international trade in giant manta products needs permits under CITES Appendix II. Giant mantas have also been on both appendices of the Convention on Migratory Species since 2011. [2][44]
- **Helping: National protection** (≈6 million km²): The Philippines (1998), Ecuador (2010), New Zealand (2010) and Indonesia (2014) are among the countries that protect giant mantas. Indonesia’s waters became the world’s largest manta sanctuary. [3]
- **Helping: Worth more alive** (US$140 million): Manta-watching tourism in 23 countries brings in about US$140 million a year. Over its life one manta can be worth up to US$1.9 million to tourism, far more than its gill plates. [45][3]
- **Helping: Photos help**: Divers’ belly photos help scientists count mantas. NOAA asks people to report sightings with photos and to watch mantas from a distance. [2][23]
- **Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi)** (VU): The smaller manta of coastal reefs in the Indian and west Pacific oceans, also fished for its gill plates. [46][12]
- **Sicklefin devil ray (Mobula tarapacana)** (CR): A large devil ray relative, listed as Critically Endangered in 2025. [47]
- **Spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular)** (CR): Another devil ray relative, listed as Critically Endangered in 2025. [48]

### Giant manta vs reef manta vs whale shark

Two mantas and the giant shark that also filter-feeds. Check the shoulders and the mouth to tell the mantas apart.

| | Giant oceanic manta | Reef manta | Whale shark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific name [49][50][12][38] | Mobula birostris | Mobula alfredi | Rhincodon typus |
| What it is [16][38] | Ray (the largest) | Ray | Shark (the largest fish) |
| Biggest size [16][12] | 7 m+ wide | ≈4.3 m wide | 18.8 m long |
| Where it lives [4][3][12][11][38] | Open ocean; visits coasts, islands and seamounts | Coastal reefs and atolls, Indian and west Pacific oceans | Open sea, often near the surface; also near coasts |
| Shoulder marks [4][11][12][13][38] | Sharp white triangles making a “T” | Blurrier “Y” or “V” shape | Pale spots and stripes all over |
| Belly spots [4][12][38] | Mostly lower belly; rarely between gills | Often between the gill slits | None (white belly) |
| Mouth [3][38] | Dark | White to light grey | Huge, at the front of the head |
| Food [20][12][38] | Zooplankton, much of it from deep water | Zooplankton | Plankton, fish eggs, small fish, sometimes squid |
| Young [11][1][51][38] | 1 pup every 2–5 years | 1 pup, usually every 2–3 years | One female carried 300 young |
| IUCN status [41][46][52] | Endangered | Vulnerable | Endangered |

A third manta, the Atlantic manta ray (Mobula yarae) of the Caribbean and the Atlantic coasts of the Americas, was described in 2025. It looks like the giant manta but is smaller.

### Giant manta signals

- Head fins unrolled, mouth wide open: Feeding: funnelling plankton into the mouth. [1][3]
- Head fins rolled up like horns: Cruising, not feeding. [1]
- Circling slowly over a reef outcrop with small fish around it: Being cleaned at a cleaning station. [3][1]
- Somersaulting again and again: Feeding on a small, dense patch of plankton. [1][3]
- A line of mantas following one in front: A courtship train: males following a female. [1][35]
- White patches suddenly brightening or fading: Seen in captive mantas just before feeding and during social encounters. [10]
- Leaping out of the water: Nobody knows for sure: maybe courtship, signalling or shaking off parasites. [21][11]

### Colours

- **Chevron giant manta**: Black back with two white triangular shoulder patches that make a black “T”. White belly with dark spots on the lower belly. (The usual colour form) [4][11][3]
- **Black (melanistic) giant manta**: Black on top and almost all black underneath, apart from some white around and behind the gill slits. (From none to about 4 in 10 mantas, depending on the population (both manta species)) [3][34][11]
- **Newborn pup (to scale)**: A newborn is about 1–2 m across and is born with its wings rolled up. It swims off on its own: manta mothers don’t look after their pups. (One pup every 2–5 years) [3][1][11]

### Giant manta ray quiz

1. How wide can a giant oceanic manta’s wings get? **At least 7 m.** Its wingspan (disc width) reaches at least 7 m, making it the largest ray. [16]
2. What does a giant manta mostly eat? **Zooplankton.** It filters zooplankton such as krill and copepods out of the water. [3][6]
3. What are the “horns” on a manta’s head? **Head fins that unroll to funnel food.** They are cephalic (head) fins. Rolled up while cruising, they unroll into paddles for feeding. [1][2]
4. How do scientists tell individual mantas apart? **By their belly spot patterns.** Each manta’s belly spots form a unique pattern, so photos work like fingerprints. [14][23]
5. How deep did a satellite-tagged giant manta off Japan dive? **1,082 m.** It reached 1,082 m, mostly diving deep at night. [24]
6. Can a manta ray sting you? **No, it only has a leftover spine sealed in a knob.** Mantas have no working sting and are listed as harmless to people. [4][17]
7. Which is the biggest fish in the sea? **Whale shark.** The whale shark, at up to 18.8 m long. The giant manta is the biggest ray. [16][38]
8. What does a melanistic manta look like? **Almost all black.** Melanistic mantas are black on top and almost all black underneath. [3][34]
9. How many pups does a manta mother usually have at once? **One.** One big pup at a time, every 2–5 years. (300 young was a whale shark.) [3][11][38]
10. Where is the largest known population of giant mantas? **Ecuador.** An estimated 22,316 giant mantas use the coast of Ecuador and Peru. [22]
11. Why are giant mantas hunted? **For their gill plates.** Dried gill plates are sold as a tonic in some Asian markets, which drives fishing. [8][3]
12. What happens at a cleaning station? **Small fish pick off parasites and dead skin.** Cleaner fish such as wrasses pick parasites and dead skin off visiting mantas. [3][1]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-16)

1. [Manta Trust (2025). Mobulid behavioural ecology: feeding strategies, cleaning behaviour, courtship, mating and pregnancies.](https://www.mantatrust.org/mobulid-behavioural-ecology)
2. [NOAA Fisheries (2026). Giant Manta Ray (Mobula birostris). Species directory page.](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/giant-manta-ray)
3. [National Marine Fisheries Service (2024). Endangered Species Act Recovery Status Review for the Giant Manta Ray (Mobula birostris). NOAA Fisheries, Silver Spring, MD, October 2024.](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3//2024-10/Recovery-Status-Review-for-Giant-Manta-Ray_508.pdf)
4. [Manta Trust (2025). Oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) species page.](https://www.mantatrust.org/mobula-birostris)
5. [Oceana (2026). Oceanic manta ray (giant manta ray).](https://oceana.org/marine-life/giant-manta-ray/)
6. [Rohner CA, Burgess KB, Rambahiniarison JM, Stewart JD, Ponzo A, Richardson AJ (2017). Mobulid rays feed on euphausiids in the Bohol Sea. Royal Society Open Science 4(5):161060.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.161060)
7. [Divi RV, Strother JA, Paig-Tran EWM (2018). Manta rays feed using ricochet separation, a novel nonclogging filtration mechanism. Science Advances 4(9):eaat9533.](https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat9533)
8. [O'Malley MP, Townsend KA, Hilton P, Heinrichs S, Stewart JD (2017). Characterization of the trade in manta and devil ray gill plates in China and South-east Asia through trader surveys. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 27(2):394–413.](https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2670)
9. [Lawson JM, Fordham SV, O'Malley MP, Davidson LNK, Walls RHL, Heupel MR, Stevens G, Fernando D, et al. (2017). Sympathy for the devil: a conservation strategy for devil and manta rays. PeerJ 5:e3027.](https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3027)
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11. [Manta Trust (2025). What are mobulid rays? Manta & devil ray ecology and biology.](https://www.mantatrust.org/manta-and-devil-rays)
12. [Manta Trust (2025). Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) species page.](https://www.mantatrust.org/mobula-alfredi)
13. [Marshall AD, Compagno LJV, Bennett MB (2009). Redescription of the genus Manta with resurrection of Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868) (Chondrichthyes; Myliobatoidei; Mobulidae). Zootaxa 2301:1–28.](https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2301.1.1)
14. [Marshall AD, Pierce SJ (2012). The use and abuse of photographic identification in sharks and rays. Journal of Fish Biology 80(5):1361–1379.](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03244.x)
15. [Nicholson-Jack AE, Harris JL, Ballard K, Turner KME, Stevens GMW (2021). A hitchhiker guide to manta rays: patterns of association between Mobula alfredi, M. birostris, their symbionts, and other fishes in the Maldives. PLoS ONE 16(7):e0253704.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253704)
16. [McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, Dove ADM, Gaskins L, Helm RR, Hochberg FG, Lee FB, Marshall A, McMurray SE, Schanche C, Stone SN, Thaler AD (2015). Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna. PeerJ 3:e715.](https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.715)
17. [Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2026). Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792) – Giant manta. FishBase species summary.](https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Mobula-birostris.html)
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19. [Alexander RL (1996). Evidence of brain-warming in the mobulid rays, Mobula tarapacana and Manta birostris (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii: Batoidea: Myliobatiformes). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 118(2):151–164.](https://doi.org/10.1006/zjls.1996.0054)
20. [Burgess KB, Couturier LIE, Marshall AD, Richardson AJ, Weeks SJ, Bennett MB (2016). Manta birostris, predator of the deep? Insight into the diet of the giant manta ray through stable isotope analysis. Royal Society Open Science 3(11):160717.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160717)
21. [Georgia Aquarium (2026). Manta ray animal profile.](https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/animal/manta-ray/)
22. [Harty K, Guerrero M, Knochel A, Stevens G, Marshall A, Burgess K, Stewart J (2022). Demographics and dynamics of the world's largest known population of oceanic manta rays Mobula birostris in coastal Ecuador. Marine Ecology Progress Series 700:145–159.](https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14189)
23. [Town C, Marshall A, Sethasathien N (2013). Manta Matcher: automated photographic identification of manta rays using keypoint features. Ecology and Evolution 3(7):1902–1914.](https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.587)
24. [Ozaki R, Kamotani Y, Kamotani M, Chin A, Ravasi T, Erdmann MV (2026). First insights into oceanic manta ray movements in Japan using satellite telemetry. Journal of Fish Biology (online).](https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70574)
25. [Andrzejaczek S, Schallert RJ, Forsberg K, Arnoldi NS, Cabanillas-Torpoco M, Purizaca W, Block BA (2021). Reverse diel vertical movements of oceanic manta rays off the northern coast of Peru and implications for conservation. Ecological Solutions and Evidence 2(1):e12051.](https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12051)
26. [Cooper TM, Green L, Setyawan E, Erdmann MV, Duffy CAJ, Constantine R, Della Penna A (2025). Movement ecology and foraging behaviours of oceanic manta rays Mobula birostris in the coastal waters of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Royal Society Open Science 12(12):250838.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250838)
27. [Arostegui MC (2025). Cranial endothermy in mobulid rays: evolutionary and ecological implications of a thermogenic brain. Journal of Animal Ecology 94(1):11–19.](https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14200)
28. [Ari C, D'Agostino DP (2016). Contingency checking and self-directed behaviors in giant manta rays: Do elasmobranchs have self-awareness? Journal of Ethology 34(2):167–174.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-016-0462-z)
29. [Ari C, Laros K, Balcombe J, D'Agostino DP (2017). Understanding the behavior of manta rays: answer to a critique. Journal of Ethology 35(1):149–152.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-016-0497-1)
30. [Manta Trust (2025). Atlantic manta ray (Mobula yarae) species page.](https://www.mantatrust.org/mobula-cf-birostris)
31. [WoRMS (2026). Mobula yarae Bucair & Marshall, 2025, AphiaID 1830940. Original description: Bucair N, Hinojosa-Alvarez S, Marshall AD, Pate J, et al. (2025), Environmental Biology of Fishes 108(11):1801–1835.](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1830940)
32. [Stewart JD, Beale CS, Fernando D, Sianipar AB, Burton RS, Semmens BX, Aburto-Oropeza O (2016). Spatial ecology and conservation of Manta birostris in the Indo-Pacific. Biological Conservation 200:178–183.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.05.016)
33. [Humble E, Hosegood J, Carvalho G, de Bruyn M, Creer S, Stevens GMW, et al. (2025). Comparative population genomics of manta rays has global implications for management. Molecular Ecology 34(4):e17220.](https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17220)
34. [Venables SK, Marshall AD, Germanov ES, Perryman RJY, Tapilatu RF, Hendrawan IG, Flam AL, van Keulen M, Tomkins JL, Kennington WJ (2019). It's not all black and white: investigating colour polymorphism in manta rays across Indo-Pacific populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286(1912):20191879.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1879)
35. [Stevens GMW, Hawkins JP, Roberts CM (2018). Courtship and mating behaviour of manta rays Mobula alfredi and M. birostris in the Maldives. Journal of Fish Biology 93(2):344–359.](https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13768)
36. [Rambahiniarison JM, Lamoste MJ, Rohner CA, Murray R, Snow S, Labaja J, Araujo G, Ponzo A (2018). Life history, growth, and reproductive biology of four mobulid species in the Bohol Sea, Philippines. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:269.](https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00269)
37. [Merriam-Webster (2026). Devilfish. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devilfish)
38. [Florida Museum of Natural History (2026). Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) species profile. Discover Fishes.](https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/rhincodon-typus/)
39. [Dulvy NK, Pardo SA, Simpfendorfer CA, Carlson JK (2014). Diagnosing the dangerous demography of manta rays using life history theory. PeerJ 2:e400.](https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.400)
40. [Barr Y, Abelson A (2019). Feeding–cleaning trade-off: manta ray 'decision-making' as a conservation tool. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:88.](https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00088)
41. [Marshall A, Barreto R, Carlson J, Fernando D, Fordham S, Francis MP, Derrick D, Herman K, Jabado RW, Liu KM, Rigby CL, Romanov E (2022). Mobula birostris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T198921A214397182.](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T198921A214397182.en)
42. [Croll DA, Dewar H, Dulvy NK, Fernando D, Francis MP, Galván-Magaña F, Hall M, Heinrichs S, Marshall A, McCauley D, Newton KM, Notarbartolo-di-Sciara G, et al. (2016). Vulnerabilities and fisheries impacts: the uncertain future of manta and devil rays. Aquatic Conservation 26(3):562–575.](https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2591)
43. [White ER, Myers MC, Flemming JM, Baum JK (2015). Shifting elasmobranch community assemblage at Cocos Island – an isolated marine protected area. Conservation Biology 29(4):1186–1197.](https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12478)
44. [Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) (2026). Mobula birostris species page.](https://www.cms.int/en/species/manta-birostris)
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46. [Marshall A, Barreto R, Carlson J, Fernando D, Fordham S, Francis MP, Herman K, Jabado RW, Liu KM, Pacoureau N, Rigby CL, Sherley RB (2022). Mobula alfredi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T195459A214395983.](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T195459A214395983.en)
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## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 400-700 cm
- **Weight:** 1000-2000 kg
- **Lifespan:** 40-45 years
- **Maximum Depth:** 1082 m
- **Water Type:** Saltwater

## Diet & Feeding

These gentle giants cruise the ocean, sifting tiny organisms from the water to eat.

- **Primary Foods:** Zooplankton, Copepods, Krill, Fish eggs
- **Foraging Method:** Filter feeding

## Ecological connections

- **Symbiotic with:** [cleaner wrasse](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cleaner-wrasse) (*Labroides dimidiatus*) — Wrasses clean parasites off mantas at special 'cleaning stations'.
- **Eaten by:** killer whale (*Orcinus orca*) — Orcas are rare predators of large marine animals like mantas.
- **Eats:** copepods (*Copepoda*) — Manta rays filter tiny copepods, along with krill and other plankton, out of the water.

## Traits

- [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.
- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water.
- [Gliding](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/gliding): Gliding animals move through the air by launching themselves and maintaining flight with specialized body structures, without flapping wings.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [Giant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/giant): Giant describes organisms or objects of significantly larger size than average for their species or type.
- [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life.

## Collections

- [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

Watch quietly from a distance and never try to feed or chase wild animals.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Giant oceanic manta ray?

Look at body shape, where the fins sit and their outline, mouth position, stripes and spots. Young fish and breeding adults can wear different patterns, and aquarium color varieties can look nothing like wild fish. Fish Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Giant oceanic manta ray?

400-700 cm

### How much does Giant oceanic manta ray weigh?

1000-2000 kg

### How long does Giant oceanic manta ray live?

40-45 years

### What does Giant oceanic manta ray eat?

These gentle giants cruise the ocean, sifting tiny organisms from the water to eat.

### Where is Giant oceanic manta ray usually found?

Tropical to temperate seas, from the surface to deep water

### How does Giant oceanic manta ray hunt?

Filter feeding

### How deep can Giant oceanic manta ray go?

1082 m

## Where to spot

- [SeaWorld Orlando](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/seaworld-orlando) — Florida, US · Zoo
- [Georgia Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/georgia-aquarium) — Georgia, US · Aquarium
- [L'Oceanogràfic](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/loceanogr-fic) — Valencian Community, ES · Aquarium

[View all places to see Manta Ray](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/manta-ray)

## More Fish

- [Rainbow Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rainbow-trout) (*Oncorhynchus mykiss*)
- [Brown Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-trout) (*Salmo trutta*)
- [Brook Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brook-trout) (*Salvelinus fontinalis*)
- [Lake Trout](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lake-trout) (*Salvelinus namaycush*)

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Source: [Giant oceanic manta ray: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/manta-ray)