Sea devil fish. Giant manta ray or sea devil
The manta ray gained worldwide fame due to its enormous size. In the widest part of the body - from one tip of the fin to the other - it can reach 7 meters. Moreover, its weight is about 2 tons.
Manta ray or giant sea devil (lat. Manta birostris) (eng. Giant Manta Ray)
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Manta rays live in all warm seas and tropical waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea.
The manta received its second name – “sea devil” – for its head fins located along the edges of the mouth slit. While swimming, they curl into a tube and become like horns. These fins are necessary for the stingray to hunt. While swimming, he directs a stream of water rich in plankton and small fish into his mouth.
"Horns"
They travel long distances in search of food. Like the whale shark, which, by the way, is its closest relative, manta rays suck in water and pass it through many gill plates. After filtration, plankton and small fish remain on them. Then the entire catch is sent to the stomach.
Bottom view
Mantas, unlike other rays, spend most of their lives in the upper layers of the open sea. Their swimming is mesmerizing. It can be compared to the soaring flight of a huge bird in the air. The movements of its huge ventral fins are so smooth and proportionate. Sometimes sea devils can be seen lying on the surface of the water.
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In the habitats or migrations of these animals, sometimes an incredible spectacle unfolds above the surface of the water - these giants quickly jumping out of the water and a deafening landing with a fountain of splashes. Sometimes the roar from these jumps can be heard several kilometers away. No one can say for sure what the purpose of these jumps is, but there is an assumption that in this way they attract partners or stun schools of small fish.
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In these places you need to be careful not to swim close to their flock, as one of them can accidentally fall on a small boat and sink it. This is the only threat that can come from this underwater inhabitant.
![](https://i0.wp.com/izent.ru/i/ps/2015/08/1440809727.jpg)
One of these cases occurred quite recently - at the end of March this year, when, while on vacation in Florida, a giant stingray jumped onto a small yacht that was rented by a married couple with children and pinned the woman with its entire mass. But everything ended well. The victim escaped with fear and a couple of bruises, and the stingray was released back into the sea.
![](https://i1.wp.com/izent.ru/i/ps/2015/08/1440809760.jpg)
Previously, people believed that the stingray specifically attacked divers, wrapping them around them with its huge fins, like a cloak, and dragging them to the bottom. By the way, it is for this reason that the stingray got its name “manta”, which is translated from Spanish as “cloak”.
Small flock of stingrays
The discovery of this animal occurred in 1792 and belongs to Johann Julius Walbaum, a German doctor, naturalist, zoologist and taxonomist.
Little is known about the reproduction process of these stingrays. The female brings one cub about 125 cm wide and weighing 10 kg. While he is in the womb, he feeds on her milk. Childbirth occurs very quickly. The baby, one might say, flies out of the mother’s womb, curled up into a tube. Then he spreads his fins and, together with the female, goes on a journey around the world.
These stingrays, despite their size, are quite vulnerable, especially the young ones.
They do not have a single serious means of defense against their main enemies - sharks. They rarely attack adults, but they often have to be driven away from the young.
Manta rays are very curious, beautiful and non-aggressive animals, which arouse genuine interest among divers. Many of them dream of swimming next to these underwater inhabitants, and some succeed. These sea animals have always fascinated me. Giants, Quiet, calm. They are like seabirds soaring in the depths of the oceans. I’ll be honest, when I first saw them, I couldn’t take my eyes off them for a long time. But these harmless and calm animals are called nothing other than.
SEA DEVIL
I suggest you look at them in more detail.
And in the Baltic there was a legend about the Sea Bishop for a long time - they caught him a couple of times, brought him to the king, tried to communicate in Polish and Latin (since the devil is obliged to know Latin!), but he was still silent, looking at people with sad, suffering eyes. But, they say, one day he showed the Catholic priests with signs that he wanted to go home to the sea, and they persuaded the king. The creature crossed those present (oh, these legends!) and disappeared into its native waters...
Many legends about the sea devil exist in Japan. And in Southeast Asia, meeting him is still a bad omen. Although it’s easier to meet: both off the coast and in the open ocean this is still a common occurrence. According to local beliefs, even if you happen to catch them, you must immediately release them, out of harm’s way.
Manta rays are very different from other marine inhabitants in their curiosity - they willingly make contact and show curiosity themselves. Now the manta ray is on the verge of complete extinction.
Manta rays are the largest living rays. The body width of some individuals can reach more than 7 meters. People used to be afraid of manta rays and called them “manta rays,” but in fact, manta rays are harmless giants. They feed only on plankton and small fish. At the same time, manta rays are perhaps the most intelligent of all marine inhabitants. They have the largest brain, relative to the total body mass, of all living fish. And it is still unknown why. Scientists still know little about manta rays.
Each manta ray is born with a unique, day-specific set of spots on its belly. In November, manta rays gather off the coast of Mozambique for courtship and mating. When a female manta is ready to mate, she forces the males to simply chase her, so you can often see a whole line of males chasing a large female. Sometimes there are one or two males, and sometimes there are as many as 12. They swim behind the female around the reef at very high speeds, and repeat almost every movement she makes.
This is a whole ritual, very beautiful and interesting. Typically, manta rays give birth to only one calf. Their pregnancy lasts 12 months. But the manta ray very rarely reproduces every year. Manta rays often take a year or two off between pregnancies, probably to recuperate. This means that manta rays are not capable of restoring their population if their life is under threat, for example, due to the negative impact of fishing. Given such a low reproductive rate of manta rays, there is a real danger of the complete extinction of this beautiful animal.
The presence of Chinese syndicates on the Mozambique coast raises serious concerns. Manta ray meat is highly valued in Chinese folk medicine. And hunting them promises too much profit for local fishermen living in poverty to resist. Around the world, wherever manta rays are hunted, they are considered a critically endangered species.
The safety of Mozambican manta rays can only be ensured if the coast receives the status of a marine reserve. More whale sharks can be seen in these waters than anywhere else in the world. Various species of whales regularly swim here.
Until recently, it was believed that there was only one species of manta ray in the world. But recent observations have shown that there is another species - giant manta rays. They are much larger than ordinary manta rays - their body width can reach 7.5 meters. In addition, the pattern on their belly has a much more pronounced color or shape.
Manta rays evolved from electric rays millions of years ago. It was believed that during evolution they lost their sting. For smaller manta rays this is true. However, it was possible to establish that giant manta rays still possess remnants of a stinging spine, which is located at the base of their tails. Therefore, giant manta rays can be distinguished as a separate species.
Where do the giant manta rays go after a short stay in the coastal waters of Mozambique? This still remains a mystery. It is believed that manta rays are migratory animals and are capable of covering vast distances. They spend most of their lives in the fish-rich waters of the Indian Ocean.
The name manta (lat. Manta birostris) is also from the realm of terrible legends. After all, translated from Spanish, manta means mantilla, cloak, cloak. The fish, with its cloak (large and strong fins, similar to wings or the flaps of a cloak), hugged the person and dragged him to the bottom. Such deadly embraces have long been attributed to the manta ray.
But in fact, the sea devil (like the Napoleon fish) is one of the safest creatures. There are no spikes, no electricity, no creepy teeth, the elongated tail-lash is not armed with anything. And the character is not malicious, even good-natured. People are not attacked at all. And the manta moves gracefully, leisurely, even phlegmatically; rather, it soars, flies, flaps its wings. A fascinating sight...
True, the manta has an unusually impressive appearance: its body width is from 4 to 7 meters, its weight is up to 2 tons. This is the largest and at the same time the most harmless of all types of stingrays. Manta rays can be seen in all tropical oceans, both in the water column or on the surface, and above the water. One of her famous features is her impressive jumps into the air to a height of up to one and a half meters. Just imagine. And the sound of falling back into the water can be heard for miles.
Why manta rays frolic so much, jumping out of the water, is not known exactly. Either the mood is good, or the process of courtship is in full swing - and then any somersault-mortale comes into play, or this is such a “shower” topsy-turvy...
Manta meat is rumored to be tasty and nutritious, the liver is beyond praise. Recipes for manti dishes are found in ancient “cookbooks”. But hunting for it is quite a dangerous task, it can capsize a boat, drag it with a harpoon, and even seriously batter it, smash it to pieces, such cases are known. Even with bullet wounds, the manta resists for a long time, fighting for life. And it’s a painfully beautiful creature – we’ll survive without such exotic cuisine.
Moreover, females are capable of bringing only one cub, however, it is also quite large in size - up to 10 kilograms, one meter long. Which will very quickly grow into a beautiful, huge monster. It will plow the seas and oceans, cover vast distances, pleasing the eyes of lovers of such beauty: when it cleans its belly on a coral reef, when it sticks the tips of its pectoral fins parallel out of the water, scaring them to death (it looks too much like the dorsal fins of sharks), when it jumps out of water, almost somersaults and splashes into the water with a roar.
The largest of the stingrays, the body width of individual individuals reaches 7 m (mostly 4-4.5 meters), and the mass of large specimens is up to 2.5 tons.
The oral cavity of manta rays is very wide and located on the front edge of the head. On the sides of the mouth there are two blades that direct the flow of water into the mouth. Like other stag rays, mantas have a developed filtering apparatus, consisting of gill plates on which food is filtered - planktonic crustaceans and small fish.
Previously, it was believed that manta rays could attack a diver, hugging them from above with their fin-wings and crushing them to death; There were also beliefs that a stingray could swallow a person. In fact, the only danger to humans comes from a manta ray jumping out of the water: it can accidentally collapse on a boat or swimmer with all its enormous weight.
Man became convinced of the safety of these animals quite recently, and in the 60s of the 20th century. sea devils appeared before people in the form of bloodthirsty creatures. There were even feature films made where manta rays appeared as killers.
The sea devil's brain is larger than that of other rays or sharks. Due to their intelligence, flexible nature and tamability, manta rays are well-deserved among divers around the world who come to the islands of the Indian Ocean to swim side by side with manta rays. Besides, he is quite curious. When an interesting object appears on the surface, it floats up and drifts on the waves, observing what is happening. Maybe that’s why in ancient times the encounter of a boat with a huge “carpet” that looks at you with an interested gaze gave rise to a wary attitude towards the sea devil?
What do you think of this photo?
Another feature of the manta is its jumping above the water. It is not clear exactly what purpose the devil is pursuing by jumping 1.5 m above the surface of the water. His deafening landing of a 2-ton body can be heard for several kilometers around, and it is possible that this is the purpose of the jump - to attract a partner or to kill small surface fish?
A couple of days ago we looked at a sea animal with interest - Let's go down to the depths again and watch someone else there.
These sea animals have always fascinated me. Giants, Quiet, calm. They are like seabirds soaring in the depths of the oceans. I’ll be honest, when I first saw them in the video, I couldn’t take my eyes off them for a long time. But these harmless and calm animals are called nothing other than SEA DEVIL.
SEA DEVIL
I suggest you look at them in more detail.
And in the Baltic there was a legend about the Sea Bishop for a long time - they caught him a couple of times, brought him to the king, tried to communicate in Polish and Latin (since the devil is obliged to know Latin!), but he was still silent, looking at people with sad, suffering eyes. But, they say, one day he showed the Catholic priests with signs that he wanted to go home to the sea, and they persuaded the king. The creature crossed those present (oh, these legends!) and disappeared into its native waters...
Many legends about the sea devil exist in Japan. And in Southeast Asia, meeting him is still a bad omen. Although it’s easier to meet: both off the coast and in the open ocean this is still a common occurrence. According to local beliefs, even if you happen to catch it, you must immediately release it, out of harm’s way.
Manta rays They are very different from other marine inhabitants in their curiosity - they willingly make contact and show curiosity themselves. Now manta ray was on the verge of complete extinction.
Manta rays are the largest living rays. The body width of some individuals can reach more than 7 meters. Previously, people were afraid of manta rays and called them " manta ray", but actually manta rays- harmless giants. They feed only on plankton and small fish. At the same time, manta rays are perhaps the most intelligent of all marine inhabitants. They have the largest brain, relative to the total body mass, of all living fish. And it is still unknown why. Scientists still know little about manta rays
Each manta ray is born with a unique, day-specific set of spots on its belly. In November, manta rays gather off the coast of Mozambique for courtship and mating. When a female manta is ready to mate, she forces the males to simply chase her, so you can often see a whole line of males chasing a large female. Sometimes there are one or two males, and sometimes there are as many as 12. They swim behind the female around the reef at very high speeds, and repeat almost every movement she makes.
This is a whole ritual, very beautiful and interesting. Typically, manta rays give birth to only one calf. Their pregnancy lasts 12 months. But manta ray very rarely reproduces every year. Manta rays They often take a year or two off between pregnancies, probably to recuperate. This means that manta rays are not capable of restoring their population if their life is under threat, for example, due to the negative impact of fishing. Given such a low reproductive rate of manta rays, there is a real danger of the complete extinction of this beautiful animal.
The presence of Chinese syndicates on the Mozambique coast raises serious concerns. Manta ray meat is highly valued in Chinese folk medicine. And hunting them promises too much profit for local fishermen living in poverty to resist. Around the world, wherever manta rays are hunted, they are considered a critically endangered species.
The safety of Mozambican manta rays can only be ensured if the coast receives the status of a marine reserve. More whale sharks can be seen in these waters than anywhere else in the world. Various species of whales regularly swim here.
Until recently, it was believed that there was only one species of manta ray in the world. But recent observations have shown that there is another species - giant manta rays. They are much larger than ordinary manta rays - their body width can reach 7.5 meters. In addition, the pattern on their belly has a much more pronounced color or shape.
Manta ray sea devil evolved from electric rays millions of years ago. It was believed that during evolution they lost their sting. For smaller manta rays this is true. However, it was possible to establish that giant manta rays still possess remnants of a stinging spine, which is located at the base of their tails. Therefore, giant manta rays can be distinguished as a separate species.
Where do the giant ones go? manta rays after a short stay in the coastal waters of Mozambique? This still remains a mystery. It is believed that manta ray- migratory animals, and are able to cover vast distances. They spend most of their lives in the fish-rich waters of the Indian Ocean.
The name manta (lat. Manta birostris) is also from the realm of terrible legends. After all, translated from Spanish, manta means mantilla, cloak, cloak. The fish, with its cloak (large and strong fins, similar to wings or the flaps of a cloak), hugged the person and dragged him to the bottom. Such deadly embraces have long been attributed to the manta ray.
But in fact, the sea devil (like the Napoleon fish) is one of the safest creatures. There are no spikes, no electricity, no creepy teeth, the elongated tail-lash is not armed with anything. And the character is not malicious, even good-natured. People are not attacked at all. And the manta moves gracefully, leisurely, even phlegmatically; rather, it soars, flies, flaps its wings. A fascinating sight...
True, the manta has an unusually impressive appearance: its body width is from 4 to 7 meters, its weight is up to 2 tons. This is the largest and at the same time the most harmless of all types of stingrays. Manta rays can be seen in all tropical oceans, both in the water column or on the surface, and above the water. One of her famous features is her impressive jumps into the air to a height of up to one and a half meters. Just imagine. And the sound of falling back into the water can be heard for miles.
Why manta rays frolic so much, jumping out of the water, is not known exactly. Either the mood is good, or the process of courtship is in full swing - and then any somersault-mortale comes into play, or this is such a “shower” topsy-turvy...
Manta meat is rumored to be tasty and nutritious, the liver is beyond praise. Recipes for manti dishes are found in ancient “cookbooks”. But hunting for it is quite a dangerous task; it can capsize a boat, drag it with a harpoon, and even batter it thoroughly, smash it to pieces, such cases are known. Even with bullet wounds, the manta resists for a long time, fighting for life. And it’s a painfully beautiful creature - we’ll survive without such exotic cuisine.
Moreover, females are capable of bringing only one cub, however, it is also quite large - up to 10 kilograms, one meter long. Which will very quickly grow into a beautiful, huge monster. It will plow the seas and oceans, cover vast distances, pleasing the eyes of lovers of such beauty: when it cleans its belly on a coral reef, when it sticks the tips of its pectoral fins parallel out of the water, scaring them to death (it looks too much like the dorsal fins of sharks), when it jumps out of water, almost somersaults and splashes into the water with a roar.
The largest of the stingrays, the body width of some individuals reaches 7 m (in the bulk 4-4.5 meters), and the mass of large specimens is up to 2.5 tons.
The oral cavity of manta rays is very wide and located on the front edge of the head. On the sides of the mouth there are two blades that direct the flow of water into the mouth. Like other stag rays, mantas have a developed filtering apparatus, consisting of gill plates on which food is filtered - planktonic crustaceans and small fish.
Previously, it was believed that manta rays could attack a diver, hugging them from above with their fin-wings and crushing them to death; There were also beliefs that a stingray could swallow a person. In fact, the only danger to humans comes from a manta ray jumping out of the water: it can accidentally collapse on a boat or swimmer with all its enormous weight.
Man became convinced of the safety of these animals quite recently, and in the 60s of the 20th century. sea devils appeared before people in the form of bloodthirsty creatures. There were even feature films made where manta rays appeared as killers.
The sea devil's brain is larger than that of other rays or sharks. Due to their intelligence, flexible nature and tamability, manta rays are well-deserved among divers around the world who come to the islands of the Indian Ocean to swim side by side with manta rays. Besides, he is quite curious. When an interesting object appears on the surface, it floats up and drifts on the waves, observing what is happening. Maybe that’s why in ancient times the encounter of a boat with a huge “carpet” that looks at you with an interested gaze gave rise to a wary attitude towards the sea devil?
What do you think of this photo?
Another feature of the manta is its jumping above the water. It is not clear exactly what purpose the devil is pursuing, jumping 1.5 m above the surface of the water. His deafening landing of a 2-ton body can be heard for several kilometers around, and it is possible that this is the purpose of the jump - to attract a partner or to kill small surface fish?
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The manta ray, or giant sea devil, is one of the most unusual representatives of the stingray species; its Latin name is: Manta birostris. This amazing animal belongs to the eagle ray family, the caudate order. The manta ray is the largest of the rays living in the World Ocean; its body width can reach 9 meters (although up to 4.5 meters are most often found), and the body weight of the largest individuals reaches almost 3 tons.
My first acquaintance with the sea devil took place in Ras Nasrani Bay, Sharm el-Sheikh. It is difficult to convey my feelings from that first meeting, involuntary admiration mixed with curiosity and some kind of primitive fear. Still, it’s not every day that you receive such gifts from fate. It’s one thing to admire this gigantic sea creature on TV or in an aquarium, and another thing to be face to face with a manta ray for the first time, even knowing that it is absolutely harmless and poses absolutely no threat to humans.
Watching manta rays in the water is an incomparable pleasure! Gracefully and leisurely soaring across the expanses of the sea, these sea creatures are mesmerizingly beautiful! But this was a small digression, let's take a closer look at these amazing creatures...
Manta (giant sea devil): appearance
Giant Sea Devil has huge pectoral fins, which together with its head form a diamond-shaped disk. Its width is almost twice its length. Manta rays are the only representatives of their subfamily and vertebrates that are endowed with three pairs of functioning limbs.
The pectoral fins, or rather their front part, are transformed into peculiar “horns” - head fins. Their length is twice the width of their base. During movement, manta rays, as a rule, curl their head fins into a spiral, and during “feeding” they straighten them. These fins direct streams of water containing plankton into its giant mouth.
Manta rays have a very wide mouth; it is located not at the bottom, but on the front edge of the head. The eyes and squirts are located on the sides, and the gill slits are located five on each side in the tender part of the head.
The rows of teeth are located only on the lower jaw. An interesting structural feature: the number of rows of teeth decreases from 18 in the center to 12-14 in the corners of the mouth.
At the very base of the tail there is a small dorsal fin. Manta rays do not have a spine on their tail, unlike their close relatives, the mobula. The tail is slightly shorter than the discoid body and slightly flattened. And the snout, located between the head fins, is slightly concave.
Giant sea devils may differ from each other by different shades of the dorsal surface. It can be dark gray, dark brown or black, while the ventral surface is always light.
The spots on the upper part of the dorsal surface are bright white, have an interesting shape in the form of a hook, which is turned towards the head fins. The mouth area is colored either black or dark gray.
It is worth noting that each individual has a unique body color, and it is thanks to this feature that scientists identify manta rays from photographs stored in a special database.
Habitat and lifestyle
Giant sea devils quite widely, but at the same time fragmentarily distributed in the subtropical, tropical and temperate waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans between 35° north. latitude and 35° south. latitude.
They can be found off the coast of southern California, the Red Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Azores, New Zealand and Mexico. And this is not a complete list of places where you can meet these amazing creatures.
These marine animals lead a pelagic lifestyle, making long migrations across the sea. They can go down to depths below 1000 meters! In the spring and autumn periods of the year they live in coastal waters, and for the winter they “go” to the open sea. During the daytime, manta rays most often stay in shallow water, near the surface of the water, and at night they swim to the depths.
Giant sea devils They swim by flapping their pectoral fins like wings. From the outside it seems that they are not floating, but soaring, and this is truly a delightful and mesmerizing sight.
While in the open sea, manta rays move in a straight line at a constant speed. They like to lazily circle or bask near the shore on the surface of the water, with their pectoral fin exposed above the water. Manta rays love to be accompanied by other fish, as well as marine mammals and birds.
Due to the manta's impressive size, it has few enemies in the wild. But, nevertheless, large sharks attack manta rays: the giant hammerhead shark, the tiger shark and the blunt-nosed shark, as well as killer whales.
With this, I finish the first part of the article, and if you want to learn more about these amazing cartilaginous fish, close relatives of sharks (about nutrition, reproduction and much more), then I bring to your attention the second part of the article.
Sea devil is another name for this majestic and absolutely safe animal. Its size and amazing appearance have given rise to the creation of legends and stories about this extraordinary fish.
They are able to make high jumps above water
Sea giant
The stingray's large wing-like fins reach seven meters. They can completely wrap a whale shark - the largest fish in the world. Due to the scope and massiveness of the manta's wings and fins, biologists consider it the largest stingray, a real sea giant.
Habitat
Stingrays live in the warm waters of all oceans except the Arctic. They are more often found in the Indian Ocean, where they form entire schools. Typically, stingrays hover in the water column, absorbing the harvest of plankton, and often rest near the surface with the tips of their pectoral fins exposed.
Stingrays are attracted to air bubbles
Brain size
Interestingly, manta rays are the most “brainy” fish in the World Ocean. The specific gravity of the manta's brain (relative to body weight) is the largest fish known to science. It is possible that manta rays are the most “smart” fish on Earth.
Manta rays feed on plankton, crustaceans and small fish. On their way to collect plankton, stingrays can travel thousands of kilometers. Stingrays get plankton in an interesting way: they line up in a long “chain” and close it in a circle, then the stingrays quickly move in a circle, thereby creating a “tornado” under water. This funnel sucks in and holds plankton captive. The stingrays begin a feast and devour their prey.
Giant mouth
The mouth of these stingrays is very wide and is located on the front edge of the head. Like other stag rays, mantas have developed a kind of filtering apparatus, consisting of gill plates on which food is filtered - planktonic crustaceans, small fish.
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