The Manta Ray (Manta birostris) is closely
related to sharks. Like the shark their skeleton is made of cartilage.
On average they are about 20 feet
wide and weigh up to 3000 pounds. They are the largest of the
rays. They are dark brown or black above and white underneath.
Two flap-like lobes extending from their eyes are used to funnel
microscopic plankton into their mouths. They also eat small fish
and crustaceans. They have no teeth.
The word manta is Spanish meaning blanket,
which is a word that describes the appearance of these animals
very well.
Mantas are distributed worldwide and generally
inhabit tropical seas. They are graceful swimmers using their
fins to propel them through the water. They are also known to
leap clear out of the water. They have few natural predators,
such as the shark or killer whale.
Females give birth to one or two pups.
They are about 45 inches long at birth and weigh 20 pounds. The
young grow quickly.
Manta Rays are harmless to divers. Some
Rays have stinging tails. Their life span is unknown.
This manta is from Ty Inc. Its name is
Sunray.
The Manta Ray shown below is made by Dakin
and is one of their Wyland Collection.
Manta photo courtesy NOAA
Class: Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous
fishes) | Subclass: Elasmobranchii (sharks and batoids) | Superorder:
Batoidea (batoids) | Order: Myliobatiformes (eagle and manta
rays)| Family: Myliobatidae (manta/devil rays) | Genus: Manta
| Species: birostris
This is Sting, a stingray made by
Ty Inc. Sting is a Beanie Baby. He was retired in January 1997.
Stingrays (Dasyatidae) use their greatly
enlarged pectoral fins to excavate the bottom, searching for
shellfish that they crush with broad, flat teeth. It is common
to find these rays buried in sand or mud. 
If
an unwary wader steps on this ray, they could be stung by the
poisonous tail spine. The pain from the sting is excruciating.
These rays are anywhere from 1 to 7 feet
long. They generally inhabit warm, shallow seas.
The Diamond stingray (Dasyatis brevis)
is 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. The sting from this ray is extremely
serious and there is at least one death recorded. These rays
like to bury themselves in the sand and can become nearly invisible.
Their range is off the coast of British Columbia all the way
south to Peru. They are common along the coast of San Diego,
California, and also in the Gulf of California.
The large, wide butterfly rays, often considered
part of this group, are not as dangerous.
This is a Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus
narinari). It is made by Wild Republic. Check the Gift
Shop to see if we have any in stock.
Spotted Eagle Rays are found in coastal
surface waters. Their range is circumtropical. They can reach
a width of 9 feet. The tail is long and like a whip with two
spiny stingers are its base. Though generally solitary, they
will congregate when spawning or migrating. They will make spectacular
leaps into the air when pursued.
Class: Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous
fishes) | Subclass: Elasmobranchii (sharks and batoids) | Superorder:
Batoidea (batoids) | Order: Myliobatiformes (eagle and manta
rays)| Family: Dasyatidae | Genus: Dasyatis
