Manta Rays

By Giuseppe Bernal & Yesica Diaz

General Background• Tropical Waters of the world, typically around coral

reefs.• Atlantic Oceans including the regions of South

Carolina, Brazil, and Bermuda. • They are also know to be in the North including the

areas of New Jersey and extending all the way down to San Diego, California.

• Mantas aren’t very difficult to understand. They linger along the coastlines. They will stay around the shore and very close to the top of the water.

Environmental Conditions• Warm Waters, tropical areas. • They can live in both fresh water and Salt water

(lagoons, lakes, oceans, swamps, and coastlines).• Manta rays tend to stay close to the shore were they

can find plenty of food, such as Plankton and Algae. • The venture off to the deep when there is not enough

food to find on the surface.• Climate change definitely affects the mantas, as long

as the water is warm, mantas can travel deep down into the ocean.

• Mantas can mate any time of the year.

Organisms

AdaptationsGlobal Warming

Good News• Good news for Mantas

since the water becomes warmer due to global warming, their habitat has been able to expand.

• They can travel deeper into the ocean

Bad News• Mantas travel off and

live on lagoons and lakes.

• These types of places can easily dry up due to the heat

• Then manta rays die, no room to move around in.

Species Interactions

• Manta rays live along the coral reefs. • They share locations with many small fish.• Manta rays have to share their food with

whale sharks due to the fact that they are both filter eaters.

Human Effects

• Manta rays are very curious when it comes to Divers.• Humans that touch Manta Rays can cause the mucus

to be removed, that can make them prone to viruses or bacteria found in the water.

• Their have been many stories of manta rays helping lost humans back up to the surface.

• Thought in Peru and in the Philippines, Manta rays have been hunted down for their Meat and oil.

• Manta rays have never harmed humans.

Interesting Stuff• Manta rays are one of the largest living fish besides sharks.

They are very fast, thought they seem to move effortless thought the water.

• They can also leap out of the water. • And their tail is relatively short, and there is no stinging

spine.• Manta rays have their young inside a thin shell that hatches

inside the mother.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manta_ray • http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/07/

manta-rays/barcott-text• http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=49 • http://www.mantaray-world.com/• http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/t

opics/lh_manta.htm