Species: Mobula birostris, Manta, Giant Manta, Giant Manta Ray

Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792)

Giant Manta, Manta, Giant Manta Ray

Head relatively wide, projecting with a pair of paddle-like extensions; large triangular "wings" (pectoral fin flaps); mouth at front of head, relatively wide; teeth in lower jaw only, those in a band that spans 65-70% of width of jaw, in 12-16 rows; tail long and whip-like, with a spine largely encased in a calcified mass; skin of top and bottom of disc with longitudinal ridges, densely embedded with overlapping, multicuspid denticles.

Dark grey to black above; mouth black to dark grey, that color often extending back to first gill slits; very distinct T-shaped black patch on center of shoulders; whitish patches on sides of shoulders triangular & with a large rear facing hook on inner side, front edge of shoulder patch runs from spiracle to a line parallel to edge of top jaw; underside white, with a pair of large, semicircular dark blotches immediately behind last gill slit, no spots centrally between gill slits; if present spots on underside clustered around rear of abdomen; typically with entire rear edge of pectoral fin dark

Size: to 7 m disc width and over two tons in weight; longevity ~40 y.

Habitat: inshore and nearshore pelagic.

Depth: 0-1928 m.

Circumtropical; Rhode Is to Uruguay.