Fish with a colossal and fascinating body

The manta ray, also known as the giant manta, is a type of ray fish that always captivates those who observe it. It is a huge specimen, the largest of all rays. They can measure around 9 meters and weigh up to 1,300 kilos.

The body of the manta ray has a very particular shape, with huge triangular fins and extensions on the head that look like horns. They have very soft skin and, unlike other rays, their tail does not have a poisonous stinger. In the upper part they are dark, almost black, and white in the belly.

Fun facts

• It lives in warm seas and is distributed throughout the planet. There is no exact record of its population, so it is unknown if it is in danger of extinction or not.
• It is related to sharks, so it has similar characteristics to these animals. For example, they don’t have bones, their bodies are supported by cartilage, the same material we get from the tip of our nose. Just like sharks, it can also jump out of the water and do various flips.
• The males have an aggressive behavior and fight to find a female. The number of female manta rays is less than the male rays.
• It is difficult to find a manta ray outside of its natural habitat, because they are exceptionally large. It is known that 4 specimens are in captivity, one of them is in a tank with a capacity of 60 million gallons of water.
• Their diet is based on plankton, squid and small fish.
• The natural predators of manta rays are large sharks (such as the tiger shark) and killer whales.
• There are legends that tell stories about manta rays that have been rescued by fishermen, but it is not known if this is true.