There are 2 Manta Rays:
- The Reef manta (mobula alfredi), the Reef manta lives close to the coasts and as the 2nd largest Manta he can reach a max. size of 5m
- Giant oceanic Manta Ray (mobula birostris), the Giant Oceanic Manta is the biggest Ray in the world and his average disc size can reach up to 7m.
Both of them are plankton feeders and have just a few natural predators like the tigershark, the bulls hark, the great hammerhead and the false killer whale
WHY DO RAYS LEAP THROUGH THE AIR?
To be honest, even scientists do not have the answer for that question. But there is many hypothesis proposed by expert : Those jumps could help rays to get rid of parasites and remoras (also called suckerfish, fish that use suction cup to stick to bigger animals) that made them suffer. By doing big leaps, school of rays may communicate with isolated individual trying to indicate their location in order to help them to join the group. Indeed, by jumping all together, rays produce a sound perceptible from miles away. Others have another theory. Rays could congregate and jump to seduce their partner. What about fun ? May be rays jump only for fun, like dolphins surfing waves or cat playing with ball of wool? Animals also have the right to spend great time with friends. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, thousand flying rays remains a breathtaking show.
This footage shows mobula rays jumping above water, up to 2m high. So know, let me ask you the same question, why do rays jump? Share your suggestions in the comment section.
Video via BBC
Caption SpotMyDive.com
