The giant oceanic manta is known as Manta Bisostris and the reef manta is known as Manta Alfredi. There are two different species of manta ray and knowing the difference brings an added level of enjoyment to a sighting. This feature earned them the nickname ‘devil rays,’ an undeservedly negative label considering their gentleness. Both mantas and mobulas species have fins on either side of their head called cephalic fins which funnel plankton-rich water into their mouths. There are over 11 species in the ray family, including mobula rays which share similar physical characteristics with manta rays and can sometimes be confused for them. Their fluid movements are a testament to this fact as they effortlessly glide through the water as if in flight. Manta rays can only breathe by swimming and so must spend their entire lives in constant motion. Coming up close with a 5 – 7m (16 – 23 ft) manta is a memory to treasure for a lifetime. Seeing a manta in the wild can be one of the most powerful experiences of a charter. Manta rays are playful, intelligent creatures who cruise the currents throughout Indonesia’s archipelago. It’s yet to be confirmed, but there may even be a third species. It wasn’t until 2008 that scientists distinguished two separate species of manta. It is expelled from the oviduct, usually near the coast, and it remains in a shallow-water environment for a few years while it grows.Manta rays are intriguing not only because of their immense size and graceful, streamlined movement under water, but also because so little has been known about them until the last two decades. When fully developed, the pup is 1.4 m in disc width, weighs 9 kg and resembles an adult. The gestation period is thought to be 12–13 months. The brood size is usually one but occasionally two embryos develop simultaneously. As it does not have a placental connection with its mother, the pup relies on buccal pumping to obtain oxygen. After the egg hatches, the pup remains in the oviduct and receives nourishment from a milky secretion. At first, they are enclosed in an egg case and the developing embryos feeds on the yolk. After mating, the fertilized eggs develop within the female's oviduct. The reef manta ray, as the oceanic manta ray, is ovoviviparous. Research would indicate that mantas probably live to at least 50 years old. The reef manta ray has a pelagic lifestyle and feeds by filtering sea water in order to catch his favorite food that represents zooplankton. However, there are distinguishing features. ''Manta alfredi'' is similar in appearance to ''Manta birostris'' and the two species may be confused as their distribution overlaps. The markings can often be used to recognise individual fish. The ventral surface is white, sometimes with dark spots and blotches. The color of the dorsal side is dark black to midnight blue with scattered whitish and greyish areas on top head. The manta ray does not have a spiny tail as do the closely related devil rays. It has a small dorsal fin and the tail is long and whip-like. The eyes and the spiracles are on the side of the head behind the cephalic fins, and the 5 gill slits are on the ventral surface. These can be rolled up in a spiral for swimming or can be flared out to channel water into the large, forward-pointing, rectangular mouth when the animal is feeding. It is dorsoventrally flattened and has large, triangular pectoral fins on either side of the disc.Īt the front, it has a pair of cephalic fins which are forward extensions of the pectoral fins. The reef manta ray can grow to a disc size of up to 5 m but average size commonly observed is 3 to 3.5 m. ''Manta birostris'' is similar in appearance to ''Manta alfredi'' and the two species may be confused as their distribution overlaps. Compared to the giant oceanic manta ray, the reef manta ray tends to be found in shallower, more coastal habitats, but local migrations are sometimes reported. The reef manta ray is found widely in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, but with a few records from the tropical East Atlantic and none from the West Atlantic or East Pacific. birostris'', the status of the reef manta ray as a separate species was only confirmed in 2009. Reef manta rays are typically 3 to 3.5 m in disc width, with a maximum size of about 5.5 m. Its scientific name is a tribute to the British Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was victim of an assassination attempt in Clondarf in Australia at the time the description of the species was published by the director of the Australian Museum Gerard Krefft in 1868. Among generally recognized species, it is the second-largest species of ray, only surpassed by the giant oceanic manta ray. The reef manta ray is species of ray in the family Mobulidae, one of the largest rays in the world.
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