On rare occasions, they will perform barrel rolls while feeding to maximize their prey intake. Food that enters the mouth is filtered by organs called gill rakers before being swallowed whole. Manta rays are passive filter feeders, swimming with their gaping mouths open and filtering plankton and small fish from the water that flows through. In addition to their impressive body size, giant manta rays have the biggest brains of any known fish in the ocean. They are the only vertebrate animals that have three sets of paired appendages: two pectoral fins, two sets of gills, and two lobes that extend from the mouth. Manta rays have two distinct colorations that are determined by genetics and where they live: chevron, a darker black back and white belly, and all black. There are two distinct species of manta recognized by science: the giant manta ray, which is oceanic, and the reef manta, which lives closer to the coast. Their wingspans can reach as many as 29 feet long and they can weigh upwards of 3,600 pounds when fully grown! Females tend to be slightly smaller than males. They have a distinctive, diamond-shaped body with long, wing-like pectoral fins, ventrally located gill slits, and characteristically wide mouths that have a lobe on each side that help channel water in. Manta rays are members of the cartilaginous fish family and the largest species of ray in the entire world. For centuries, mantas have captured the human imagination, making their way into cultural lore and traditions. Manta rays ( Mobula birostris ) are majestic, mysterious, and one of the largest fishes in the world’s ocean. A manta ray glides through Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
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