Manta Rays are our passion. We have more time in the water filming, observing, and researching these creatures than anyone else in the world. This page is a general overview of the Manta Rays. We have included some interesting videos and photos.
We dedicated an entire website to the Manta Rays of Kona, Hawaii so for more in-depth information, please visit our sister site at www.mantarayshawaii.com.
Habitat, Lifespan, Size
Manta Rays (Manta Birostris) live in tropical to warm temperate waters. Manta Rays are a cartilaginous fish in the sub-class elasmobranches and as such they are 'relatives' of the shark. They are the largest and least known of all the Rays. Manta Rays are primarily gray and black on the top (dorsal side) and mostly white on their bottom (ventral side) with patches of black pigmentation. The black spot patterns as well as unique physical characteristics are used to identify individual Manta Rays. Check our our Library for more information. Manta Rays have no barbs or stingers and are harmless to humans. The Manta Ray night dive off the Kona coast is one of the top large creature excursions in the world.
Manta Rays seem to be solitary creatures, coming together only to feed and mate. The Manta Rays are open ocean creatures and not considered reef inhabitants. They do frequent the reef for the purpose of being “cleaned" by small fish that live on the coral reef. These areas are called cleaning stations and serve the Manta Ray as a "Day Spa".In Hawaiian waters, we encounter Manta Ray “pups” with wing spans of 3 feet and adults up to 16 feet. Mature males are up to 11 feet; the females tend to be the larger ones. It is recorded that Manta Rays can be up to 25 feet wide.
Their life span is believed to be 50 to 100 years of age. Check out Lefty's story , she is a Manta Ray we have seen in Hawaii since 1979.The Kona mantas are most frequently observed at “Manta Village” in Keauhou Bay, "Manta Heaven” (Kona Airport) and near the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (Kohala Coast).
Diary of a Manta Ray Pregnancy
In May 2010 we were able to capture the courtship of a large regularly seen female named Big Bertha and several males. Not only is Manta Ray courtship behavior a beautiful and intense encounter, it also gave us a firm time period when Big Bertha conceived.
We were able to track her pregnancy by month as well as observe how the pup grew inside her. We have compiled this footage into a video diary.
Based on a thirteen month gestation period, we anticipated the birth in June/July 2011; and so it happened. This is the first time a pregnancy in the wild has been documented like this.
What do Manta Rays eat?
Manta Rays are filter-feeders. They filter the plankton out of the water using a complex system of traps, filters and gill combs. They also have fins in the front, called cephalic fins. These fins help funnel the food into their mouth.Their diet is zooplankton which consists of copepods, mysid shrimp, crab larva, mollusk larva and fish eggs. Manta Rays must eat approximately 3-8% of their body weight in plankton per day.
The following video illustrates how manta rays feed on plankton, as well as what happens when a manta ray ingests something it doesn't want.
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Close-up of Manta Rays Mouth
Manta Rays in Captivity
There are Manta Rays in captivity at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The aquarium is quite large (several million gallons) and the Manta Rays feed on small shrimp, which are introduced into their mouth from an attendant on the surface (while it is swimming) using a small net. It is unknown if the Manta Rays are in good health or suffers any ill effects due to its confinement. Manta Rays are also held in captivity in the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan and three Manta Rays are in the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.