The largest manta ray. Manta ray or giant sea devil (lat. Manta birostris). Interaction with people

Above the endless expanses of the ocean, you can see a bewitching sight: huge stingrays, like giant birds, break out of the water column and fly over the surface. This phenomenon is extremely rare as the Manta population is rapidly declining. But still, some people manage to watch how the largest winged stingray living in the ocean flies over the water and again plunges into its depths.

Manta rays or giant sea devils live in subtropical and tropical zones world ocean. In the largest winged rays of this species, the body width can reach 9 meters. Animals often live in areas rich in zooplankton, which serves as food for them. Most often they are found in coastal areas, near coral reefs, islands or underwater peaks. Winged rays live in flocks or individually.

The animals were first described by the German zoologist Johann Walbaum in 1792. Studies conducted since then have established that mantas are divided into 2 species: Manta birostris and Manta alfredi. Representatives of both species are very similar, and they can be distinguished by some color features.

Appearance

Mantas have a dark dorsal surface that can be cast black, blue or brown. Light spots located on top of the back form a kind of hook. The abdomen of animals is light. Representatives of this species come across, having only a black color, diluted with the only white spot on the whole body.

Manta rays feed on plankton by filtering the water. They have teeth only on the lower jaw. Despite their enormous size, winged rays can become prey for large predators such as shark.

Scientists have not yet been able to establish why manta rays try to fly. According to one version, this is how males attract the attention of females. Other zoologists claim that in this way winged stingrays drown out fish, getting their own food: when, after a jump, a stingray lands on the surface of the water, a deafening sound is heard that spreads for kilometers. None of the versions has been proven, so it remains only to guess why the manta rays are rushing into the sky, and admire this amazing sight.

Sea devils look great not only while flying over water. They impress with their gracefulness while swimming. Animals move slowly, flapping their huge fins from time to time, like wings.

reproduction

Winged stingrays give birth to a live baby who does not need parental care. After mating, one or two eggs are laid in the womb of the female. After some time, babies appear from them, which continue to develop in the womb of the mother. The entire gestation period can last from 12 to 13 months.

Mantas usually give birth in two years. There are times when a female has a baby every year. Winged rays reach sexual maturity at the age of 8 to 10 years. On average, manti live for about 50 years.

Interaction with people

For a long time it was believed that manti posed a danger to humans. People made up horror stories that winged stingrays, like vampires, drink the life out of a person, wrapping themselves around him with their huge fins. Some have even claimed that manta rays can easily swallow humans. In fact, animals are very peaceful. They do not attack divers, let alone boats. Only their huge size inspires fear in people.

Mantas have been brutally destroyed by people for many years. They were caught for different purposes:

• animals were killed out of fear and a mistaken idea of ​​their danger;
• stingray meat is used for cooking;
• Souvenirs are made from some parts of the body;
• in alternative medicine In China, gill rakers of manta rays are in demand.

Winged rays are very rarely kept in captivity. Only the largest aquariums can afford to have this amazing animal. In the Japanese Aquarium, manta rays have even begun to breed. This allows biologists to establish the most favorable living conditions for winged rays.

Sea devils are often confused with other winged rays - mobuls. These animals are really very similar and have minor differences in body structure. Mobuls are inferior to mantas in size and weight. The body width of Mobulinae can reach 5.2 m, and they weigh a little more than a ton. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters.

Mobuls, like mantas, sometimes fly over water. The height of the jump can reach 3 m. Sometimes you can see how winged stingrays do an impressive somersault before a loud landing on the water surface. Cases have also been recorded of animals stranded on land in droves. Despite all the efforts of biologists, it was not possible to determine exactly why the rays are thrown onto land. In most cases, scientists are inclined to believe that environmental degradation is the cause of this behavior.

Features and habitat of the manta ray

Stingray manta is a vertebrate animal, the only one of its kind, which has 3 pairs of active limbs. The width of the largest representatives of the species can reach 10 meters, however, medium-sized individuals are most often found - about 5 meters.

Their weight fluctuates around 3 tons. In Spanish, the word "scat" means a blanket, that is, the animal got its name because of the unusual shape of the body.

Habitat habitat manta rays temperate, tropical and sub tropical waters. The depth has a wide range - from coastal areas to 100-120 meters.

It is generally accepted that the characteristics of the body and unusual shape bodies allow the manta to descend to depths of more than 1,000 meters. Most often, the appearance near the coasts is associated with the change of seasons and time of day.

So, in spring and autumn, stingrays live in shallow water, but in winter they swim into the open ocean. The same thing happens with the change of time of day - during the day the animals are closer to the surface, at night they rush to the depth.

The body of the animal is a movable rhombus, since its fins are securely fused with the head. Manta ray in the photo From above, it appears as a flat, elongated spot gliding across the water. From the side it can be seen that the “spot” at the same time moves the body in waves and taxis long tail. In addition to photos, relevant manta ray vectors.

Mouth great manta ray located on its upper part, the so-called back. If the mouth is open, a “hole” gapes on the body of the stingray, about 1 meter wide. The eyes are also there, on the sides of the head protruding from the body.

In the photo, a manta ray with an open mouth

The surface of the back is dark in color, most often brown, blue or black. The abdomen is light. White spots are also often present on the back, which in most cases are in the form of hooks. There are also completely black representatives of the species, the only bright place in which is small spot on the bottom.

The nature and lifestyle of the manta ray

The movement of mantas occurs due to the movement of fins fused with the head. From the outside, it looks more like a leisurely flight or hovering above the bottom surface than swimming. The animal looks peaceful and relaxed, however manta ray size still makes a person feel in danger next to him.

AT big water slopes move mainly in a straight path, maintaining the same speed for a long time. Along the surface of the water, where the sun warms its surface, the stingray can slowly circle.

The largest manta ray can live in complete isolation from other representatives of the species, and can gather in large groups(up to 50 individuals). Giants get along well in the neighborhood with other non-aggressive and mammals.

An interesting habit of animals is jumping. Manta ray jumping out of the water and may even perform somersaults over its surface. Sometimes such behavior is massive and one can observe the next or simultaneous somersault of several manta rays at once.

Another interesting fact about the manta ray is that this giant must constantly be in motion, since its spiracles are underdeveloped. Movement helps pump water over the gills.

Manta ray food

Almost all residents underwater world can become prey for the manta ray. Representatives of a small-sized species feed on various worms, larvae, molluscs, small ones, they can even catch small ones. That is, medium and small-sized mantas absorb food of animal origin.

It is considered a paradox that giant stingrays, on the contrary, feed mainly on plankton and tiny ones. Passing water through itself, the stingray filters it, leaving prey and oxygen dissolved in water. "Hunting" for plankton, the manta ray can travel long distances, although fast speed does not develop. average speed- 10 km / h.

Reproduction and lifespan of the manta ray

reproductive system stingrays is very developed and complex. Mantas reproduce ovoviviparously. Fertilization occurs internally. The male is ready to mate when the width of his body reaches 4 meters, he usually reaches this size at the age of 5-6 years. The young female is 5-6 meters wide. Same age of maturity.

mating dances stingrays are also a complex process. Initially, one or more males chase one female. This can go on for half an hour. The female herself chooses a partner for mating.

As soon as the male has reached the chosen one, he turns her upside down, grabbing her by the fins. Then the male introduces the genital organ into the cloaca. The stingrays occupy this position for a couple of minutes, during which fertilization occurs. There have been cases where multiple males have been fertilized.

The eggs are fertilized in the body of the female and the young hatch there. At first, they feed on the remains of the "shell", that is, the gall sac, in which the eggs are in the form of embryos. Then, when this supply dries up, they begin to receive nutrients from mother's milk.

Thus, the embryos live in the body of the female for about a year. At one time, a stingray can give birth to one or two cubs. This happens in shallow water, where they subsequently remain until they gain strength. The body length of a small stingray can reach 1.5 meters.

Manta or giant sea ​​Devil- a species of stingrays of the eponymous genus of the bracken family of the caudal-shaped order, superorder of stingrays. Members of the subfamily Mobulinae, to which manta rays belong, are the only vertebrates with three pairs of functioning limbs. This is the largest of the rays, the body width of individual individuals reaches 9.1 m (in the bulk 4-4.5 meters), and the mass of large specimens is up to 3 tons.

Translated from Spanish, the name of this fish is translated as "cloak" or "blanket". And indeed, floating in the thick clear water the manta is very reminiscent of a kind of flying carpet, elegantly and majestically soaring in the sky.

Manta is one of the most known species stingrays. It owes its fame, first of all, to its huge size and amazing appearance, which caused the appearance of various legends, stories and tales about this amazing fish from the most ancient times.

The appearance and size of the manta is truly unique. Even a newborn "dummy" reaches more than 150 cm in fin span, and an adult can reach almost 8 m in wingspan and weigh more than 2 tons! This is real sea ​​giant.

In fairness, it should be said that the manta ray is not the champion among stingrays in terms of body length - the "pedestal of honor" in this competition is occupied by sawfly stingrays, some species of which reach 7.6 m from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. The body of a manta does not grow longer than 2 meters. But due to the massiveness and breadth of the wingspan-fins, the manta, according to the unanimous opinion of biologists, is considered the largest stingray of known to science.

The appearance of this fish does not allow confusing it with any other stingray or marine animal. Her body resembles a diamond-shaped carpet, black on top and pure white on the ventral side. Wide wings formed pectoral fins, whip-shaped short tail, and characteristic horns on the head, formed by the anterior tips of the pectoral fins. With these horns, the stingray increases the flow of water into the cavity of its huge mouth. Why does manta need increased water circulation in the mouth? Yes, for the simple reason that these rays are plankton-eating marine animals, like whales, cetaceans and giant sharks. Even the mouth of a manta ray resembles the mouth of a whale shark in shape, differing, however, in the structure of the dental apparatus.

The ability of sea devils to jump out of the water is well known. At the same time, they can rise 1.5 m above its surface. The sound of a large specimen falling onto the water is heard like thunder and can be heard for several miles. Manta is completely safe for humans, because it is not aggressive. However, touching her skin, covered with small spikes, is fraught with bruises and abrasions.

In the way for accumulations of plankton, stingrays can travel thousands of kilometers. The stingrays live in warm waters all oceans except the Arctic. They are most often found in Indian Ocean where they form whole flocks. Usually they hover in the water column, absorbing the plankton crop, often resting near the surface, exposing the tips of their pectoral fins to the surface.

Mantas swim by flapping their pectoral fins like wings. In the open sea, they move at a constant speed in a straight line, and near the coast they often bask on the surface of the water or circle lazily. They are found both singly and in groups of up to 30 individuals. They are often accompanied by other fish as well as seabirds.

Interestingly, manta rays are the most "brainy" fish in the oceans. The specific gravity of the manta brain (relative to body weight) is the largest fish known to science. It is possible that manta rays are the smartest fish on Earth.

The main danger for the manta is a person. The stingray meat is tasty and the liver is rich in fat. Therefore, in their habitats, handicraft fishermen and sports fishermen hunt manta rays. Get huge fish from the water is not easy, therefore it is prestigious. This leads to a drop in the number manta rays which is of concern to conservationists. Currently, work is underway on artificial breeding these animals in captivity. In 2007, a manta calf was born for the first time in the Okinawa Aquarium (Japan).

The manta ray is a sea giant, the largest among the known stingrays, and perhaps the most harmless. Due to its size and formidable appearance, many legends have been composed about it, which are mostly fiction.

The dimensions of the manta are very impressive, adults reach 2 meters, 8 meters is the span of the fins, the weight of the fish is up to two tons. But not only the large size gives the fish a formidable look, the head fins, in the process of evolution, stretched out and resemble horns. Perhaps that is why they are also called "sea devils", although the purpose of the "horns" is more peaceful, stingrays use their fins to direct plankton into their mouths. The mouth of a manta reaches one meter in diameter.. Thinking to eat, the stingray swims with its mouth wide open, with its fins it drives water into it with small fish and plankton. In the mouth, the stingray has a filtering apparatus, the same as that of the whale shark. Through it, water and plankton are filtered, food is sent to the stomach, the skate releases water through the gill slits.

The habitat of manta rays is the tropical waters of all oceans. The back of the fish is painted black, and the belly is snow-white, with an individual number of spots for each individual, thanks to this color it is well camouflaged in the water.

In November, they have mating time, and divers observe a very curious picture. The female swims surrounded by a whole string of "admirers", sometimes their number reaches twelve. The males swim after the female high speed repeat every movement after her.

The female bears a cub for 12 months, and gives birth to only one. After that, he takes a break for one or two years. What explains these breaks is unknown, perhaps this time is needed to restore strength. The process of childbirth proceeds unusually, the female quickly releases the cub rolled up into a roll, then it unfolds its fins-wings and swims after the mother. Newborn manta rays weigh up to 10 kilograms and are one meter long.

The brain of a manta is large, the ratio of the weight of the brain to total weight the body is much larger than that of other fish. They are smart and very curious, easily tamed. On the islands of the Indian Ocean, divers from all over the world gather to swim in the company of the manta ray. Often they show their curiosity at the sight of an unknown object on the surface, emerge, drift nearby, observe the events taking place.

In natural nature, the sea devil has almost no enemies, with the exception of carnivorous sharks, and even they attack almost only young animals. Except large sizes the sea devil has no protection from enemies, the stinging spike is characteristic of electric rays they are either absent or present in a residual state and pose no threat to anyone.

Giant stingray meat is nutritious and tasty, liver is a special delicacy. In addition, meat is used in Chinese folk medicine. Hunting them is beneficial to poor local fishermen, although it is associated with a considerable risk to life. The manta ray is considered a critically endangered species..

There was a belief that manta rays were able to attack a person in the water, wrap their fins around them, drag them to the bottom and swallow the victim. AT South-East Asia meeting with the sea devil was considered a bad sign and promised many misfortunes. Local fishermen, having accidentally caught a cub, immediately released it. Perhaps that is why the population with low reproduction has survived to this day.

In fact, a manta ray can only harm a person when it descends into the water after jumping out of the water. With its large body, it can hook a swimmer or a boat.

Jumping over water is another amazing feature giant stingrays. The jump reaches a height of 1.5 meters above the surface of the water, and then, followed by a dive with the strongest noise caused by the body of a two-ton giant hitting the water. This noise can be heard at a distance of several kilometers. But, according to eyewitnesses, the spectacle is magnificent.

Giant stingrays are also beautiful under water, easily flapping their fins, like wings, as if they are floating in the water.

Only five of the largest aquariums in the world have sea devils. And there is even the case of the birth of a cub in captivity, in a Japanese aquarium in 2007. This news spread around all countries and was shown on television, which testifies to the love of man for these amazing creatures.

The sea devil is also called this majestic and absolutely safe animal. The size and amazing appearance have led to the creation of legends and stories about this extraordinary fish.

They are capable of doing high jumps above the water

sea ​​giant

The large fins of the stingray, similar to wings, reach seven meters. They can be completely wrapped whale shark- the most big fish in the world. For the scope and massiveness of the wings-fins of the manta, biologists consider it the largest stingray, a real marine giant.

Habitat

Stingrays live in the warm waters of all oceans except the Arctic. More often they are found in the Indian Ocean, where they form whole flocks. Usually stingrays soar in the water column, absorbing the plankton crop, often resting near the surface, exposing the tips of their pectoral fins.

Stingrays are attracted to air bubbles

brain size

Interestingly, manta rays are the most "brainy" fish in the oceans. The specific gravity of the manta brain (relative to body weight) is the largest fish known to science. It is possible that manta rays are the smartest fish on Earth.

It feeds on plankton, crustaceans and small fish. In the way for accumulations of plankton, stingrays can travel thousands of kilometers. Stingrays feed on plankton interesting way: they line up in a long "chain" and close it in a circle, then the rays quickly move in a circle, thereby creating a "tornado" under water. This funnel sucks in and holds the plankton captive. A feast begins at the stingrays, they absorb their prey.

giant mouth

The mouth of these stingrays is very wide and is located on cutting edge heads. Like other stingrays, mantas have a peculiar filtering apparatus, consisting of gill plates, on which food is filtered - planktonic crustaceans, small fish.