The Insane Biology of: The Giant Manta Ray

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Images Courtesy of Getty Images

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Eric Ypsilantis
Robert Thompson
Keith Skipper

Credits:
Narrator: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Lorraine Boissoneault
Illustrator: Jacek Ambrożewski

REFERENCES

[realscience]

I know there is an audio glitch at 8:52. She says "a lot of times when I'm talking to people, they're like, Oh, that's what killed Steve Irwin. And I'm like, No, manta rays don't have any way that they can kill you, they don’t have stinging barbs."

I have been working with (read: arguing with) YouTube to allow me to reupload the video without deleting it first. Hopefully we will get it resolved.

[ChestCandy]

There are diving tours in the Gulf of Mexico that go to decommissioned oil rigs. One of the rigs has a giant manta that, for some reason, really likes to swim up to divers, have them hold onto it, and it swims them around in a circle before letting them off and getting another diver. It waits longer for slow swimmers and only lets you ride once, but it gets everyone then just leaves. It's been doing this for over a decade and no one knows why. It's surreal.

[dogspaghetti]

The manta Ray has always been one of my favorite animals— so gentle, so giant, yet so mysterious

[quantx]

I swam with Giant Manta Ray in Micronesia about 25 years ago. Scuba diving several miles out. Dove about 60-90ft. Giant Mantas everywhere. They were indeed very curious and friendly. I remember how they moved around us in big circles, gracefully, never getting too close, but very curious and friendly nonetheless. I distinctly remember being amazed at their size.

[laurelsilberman]

I am an experienced open water diver; I’ve been all over the world and had all kinds of interactions with animals as a result of my upbringing, and one of the few animals I haven’t seen and am actually jealous of someone else for having seen is my mom seeing a giant ray in Fiji. She described it as the size of a school bus and said she got a sense of emotion and intelligence from it similar to a whale, based on the cautious but thorough examination it performed of their dive group before wandering off. She said it was like meeting an alien that’s almost as smart as you, and had better more important things to do that day than look at them. I could listen to her retell that story any day.

[bennyb.]

I had the privilege of working with Manta's in Indonesia for four years. They are very, very special animals. So inquisitive and sociable. Many times we'd be down doing something face down in the mud like surveying micro biology or something, and all of a sudden it would look like an eclipse. The big mantas that knew us would sneak up and scratch their tummies with our exhaust bubbles.

[JonalynH]

Weird fact: The same way a tiny hummingbird's wings fly in the air with a figure 8 movement, allowing greater flight efficiency and manoeuvrability no other bird species has, is the same flight movement of manta rays. They both also can hover in place a rare ability in air or water.

[xandrewvondiue]

I never knew giant mantas were intelligent enough to be considered to have complex social behaviors like changing colors!! This is too epic. Super grateful for your content, since it reignites my admiration for mysterious creatures

[cathalodiubhain]

The manta ray’s friendly demeanor and curiosity towards humans has earned it the nickname “the puppy of the sea”

[nittojoe]

I went scuba diving in Indonesia with manta ray and they seemed to really love the feeling of the bubbles from the regulator on their belly. They almost play with the bubbles and scoop them up, it's really funny

[saelesc]

ugh every time y’all release one of them videos it just reinforces how much I love marine science! I’m so happy I’m pursuing it as a career!!

[sithmir]

Really enjoyed the explanation from 8:51 - 9:01 lads

[glennquagmire]

I remember as a kid at a beach fishing i saw a huge manta ray leaped out of the water back in 1970, it was the most awesome sight i ever witnessed.

[Grand-Massive]

Another very big benefit to being large in the ocean is that its much more thermally efficient to have a high body mass because of the square cube law. That is why deep sea gigantism is so common.

[ThisMightWork]

One of my earliest memories growing up in south Florida was being on a pier and seeing what I thought at the time as a giant black and white spaceship following a big school of fish. I’ll never forget that giant ray it was absolutely massive

[acephas]

They used to scare me as a kid. They represented both the vastness and depth of the ocean more than anything else; save for coral reef dropoffs.

[aidenmclaughlin]

Manta rays are just incredible. I had the opportunity to dive with one once, and videos and pictures don’t do their size justice. They’re absolutely massive!

[sarar]

We did a night time manta ray excursion in Hawaii in 2015. Coolest thing I have ever done, hands down! They did their barrel rolls right up against you but were careful not to hit you! Such amazing creatures. I am so thankful for that experience.

[kristiankajhoj]

It is so incredible to see a creature so distant from humans in appearance show signs of social intelligence at higher levels. Nature truly is remarkable!

[MichaelEilers]

I’d like to know more about how they function as a little roaming ecosystem; you can clearly see remoras and little schools of fish that travel in their “shadow” and other schooling behavior nearby.