For real - why is the Manta Ray not in the mainline games? If there was any ray species that everyone knows, it’s this guy. They were available for a few days in July 2020, and have only returned as recolored “special” versions since, but like - there’s nothing like the real thing. This will be a longer entry because I can’t shut up today.
So, there are actually two species of giant manta ray in the world - the reef manta ray and the oceanic manta ray. Often when you’re identifying fish, it’s a rule of thumb to consider coloring and markings last. This is because, just like people, fish have small differences that set individuals apart. For instance, in humpback whales, the white pattern under their tail flukes are so different you can name the individual, as real marine biologists who study them actually do. African penguin handlers at aquariums will identify individual penguins by the spot patterns on their bellies. Likewise, marine biologists who study mantas can also do this with the black spot patterns on their bellies. So, when we’re identifying separate species, we look for more physical traits, like face shape, gill raker or fin ray meristics (counts), etc etc. But when it comes to the two mantas, you actually can rely on color and pattern best. On the dorsal side (the top), the white patterns between the two species are different enough and consistent enough to tell them apart this way. The Giant Reef Manta Ray (Mobula alfredi) has gentle gradients from black to white, and those stripes are rounded. The Oceanic Manta Ray’s (Mobula birostris) white stripes are angular and sharp with no gradient. The black space between these stripes actually forms a “T” and so it’s really easy to see the ACPC species is the oceanic species.
The Giant Mantas are within Class Chonrichthyes, meaning they are fish with a skeleton made of cartilage, the same kind of flexible material that makes up your ears and tip of your nose. Within Chondrichthyes, the rays and skates are within the SuperOrder Batoidea, which are closely related to sharks and host the most species within the Class. Within this SuperOrder are the Myliobatiformes, which consist of all the stingrays. These fish sport a long, serrated spine on their tails for defense, though some species, like the mantas, no longer have it anymore. Within this group are the Myliobatidae, your mantas, devil rays, and eagle rays that spend more time swimming in open water than other rays. A manta’s best defense is its large size (a wingspan up to 7m (23 feet) across!!), which deter many predators that aren’t also very large themselves. Like most giants in the oceans, the manta is a gentle giant that strains zooplankton, fish eggs, and fish larvae out of the water column.
They are so gorgeous and divers and snorkelers alike flock to tropical areas that host Manta Rays on their reefs. Like, this is one of those animals that is worth more alive (via tourism money) than it is dead (for Chinese tonics that don’t really do anything). Still, it’s endangered, of course. It was actually the first ray species to be listed as “endangered” and start getting the protection it needed. As we talked about with the Dorado, many governments have been very very slow to protect fish species, which, no one’s surprised about right? That humans care more about mammals than any other group? Like, I get it, mammals are our closest cousins and they are very charismatic, and etc. But fish like the manta rays live like mammals, with long lives and very slow growth rates that make them so vulnerable to our quickly-changing world and growing appetites from their parts. Luckily, people are starting to see this, and whether they are protecting them because we love them or love the profits they generate, I don’t care - as long as they will be with us for the long run.
Here is my completed “Amazing, Beautiful Creatures” project as an A2 wall chart!
There may be as many as nine million different species of animal on Earth, and yet many of the most interesting and beautiful creatures get overlooked in favour of those more familiar too us. This is my attempt to introduce some of the less well known ones, although there were many more that I would have liked to have included. I hope that most people will learn a fact or two!
Sadly, many of the creatures I’ve covered, such as the Dugong, Gharial,and the Leatherback Turtle are all threatened with extinction. Hopefully by learning more about these creatures we can help prevent this from happening.
They/Them/ It / It’s Sky flap-flap that eat dreams. It have no digestive tract and no sexual organs. It can injure itself pretty often due to carelessness, but heals almost immidietly. Acts kinda like puppy. Dumdum flat sky puppy.
The name Manta means blanket. The movement of the fins through the water is very similar to that of a bird flapping its wings. They are extremely fast swimmers and also considered to be one of the most graceful as they move around. If you don’t look quickly though one can be gone before you realize it was there. While the Manta Ray has many rows of sharp teeth, they aren’t used for eating. Instead they have a filtering system. It doesn’t have a nose. (Photograph: WDR)
