The Manta Ray is one of the most instantly recognisable and captivating creatures in the world. They glide through the water with the grace of a ballerina, and you can witness this for yourself.
Manta Rays are related to Sharks
Interestingly, Manta Rays belong to the same taxonomic class as sharks, which would chondrichthye. Even more amazingly, they share the same sub-class as well, which is elasmobranchii. This makes them quite closely related.
They are Ancient
You might know that sharks are quite ancient, with fossils of them found as old as 400 million years. Manta Rays are also a very ancient species, having existed for about five million years.
There are Several Species of Manta Ray
The Reef Manta is the smallest type of Manta Ray, and has a usual width of 3 to 3.5 metres. The Giant Oceanic Manta is as you would’ve guessed, much bigger, with an average width of four to 5 metres. Both of these species have three different kinds of colour morphs, which are Chevron, Black and Leucitic.
Manta or Mobula?
The Mobula are a different species to the Mantas which are usually mistaken for the latter. They are much smaller, with widths of around 3 metres. If you’re vacationing in a resort such as Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, or any resort renowned for Maldives water sports, be sure to impress people by knowing the difference. Mobulas also tend to travel in groups, while Manta Rays are more individualistic.
Fritzjames Stephen is a travel writer, who writes content based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life. Google+
