Jasmine CorbettClose relatives of sharks and other rays, these filter-feeding giants roam tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.
Beautiful and enigmatic, manta and devil rays (known collectively as mobulids) are some of the most captivating creatures in our oceans. Close relatives of sharks and other rays, these filter-feeding giants roam tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide, gliding on wingspans that can reach bus-sized proportions. Despite their size, mantas and devil rays remain elusive, and scientists are still uncovering new aspects of their biology and behavior. Here are eight incredible facts about these ocean explorers.
1. Big Brains for a Fish
Manta and devil rays have the largest brains of any fish. Proportionally, their brain size is more comparable to that of mammals, which may explain their reputation for intelligence and curiosity with divers.
2. Always on the Move
From the moment they are born, these rays live a life of perpetual motion. To breathe, they must keep swimming so water flows over their gills, meaning they never truly stop.
Jasmine CorbettFrom the moment they are born, these rays live a life of perpetual motion. To breathe, they must keep swimming so water flows over their gills, meaning they never truly stop.
3. The Second Largest Fish in Our Oceans
After whale sharks, oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) take second place. They can reach nearly 23 feet across, about the size of a small bus!
4. A Sting-Free Tail
Unlike their seabed-dwelling relatives, the stingrays, manta rays don’t have a venomous barb in the tail, which stingrays use for self-defense. Instead, a manta ray’s primary defense mechanism is its large size and speed. When escaping predators, manta rays can accelerate to speeds of up to 24 miles per hour!
5. Mantas Enjoy a Day at the “Spa”
Like many reef fish, mantas visit cleaning stations where smaller fish and shrimp remove parasites, dead skin and debris from their bodies, even venturing into their mouths and gills to tidy up hard-to-reach places.
Related reading: Stranded Manta Ray in Florida Unlocks Discovery of a Third Species
6. Births Rarely Witnessed
Though manta rays give birth, on average, every two to three years to one or occasionally two pups, no natural birth has ever been recorded in the wild. Aside from aquarium births, the only documented event was an aborted pup from a hunted female in 1967.
7. Courtship Trains
When a female manta ray is ready to mate, she leads males in a “courtship train.” As many as thirty males line up head-to-tail behind her, swimming at high speeds while twisting and turning around the reef, sometimes even leaping from the water. This dramatic display allows the female to select the fittest partner. Courtship activity is often observed near cleaning stations, which serve as important aggregation sites for manta rays.
8. A New Species Described
For years, scientists suspected a third manta species existed in the Atlantic. In 2025, that mystery was solved: the Atlantic manta ray (Mobula yarae) was formally described, found from the Caribbean to Brazil, where it shares waters with the larger oceanic manta.
9. High-Flying Acrobatics
Manta rays sometimes leap out of the water, soaring several feet into the air before crashing back down. Why they do this remains a mystery, but theories include parasite removal and communication.
10. Face Spoons
Manta rays are filter feeders, consuming up to 13 pounds of microscopic plankton a day. They have a pair of large fins on their head, called cephalic fins, which act like paddle-shaped scoops to funnel the plankton into their mouths while feeding.
