manta ray

Fafa piti

Manta rays live in temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. They are pelagic. M. birostris migrates through the free waters of the oceans, alone or in groups. It feeds on the large quantities of zooplankton in suspension. The gestation of the manta ray lasts more than one year and birth is ovoviviparous. Manta rays can go to cleaning stations to get rid of their parasites. Like whales, they breach sometimes out of the water, for unknown reasons. Breeding may occur at different times of the year following the location within the distribution area. Parades are difficult to observe as this animal swims fast, though we sometimes see individuals swimming very close to each other in shallow water. For various reasons, the male almost always seizes the left pectoral, and the females bear scars that illustrate this. Manta rays feed by filtering sea water and large amounts of zooplankton in the form of shrimp, krill and planktonic crabs.