Manta birostris (Walbaum, 1792)

Giant manta

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Elasmobranchii \| Rajiformes \| Myliobatidae \| Mobulinae
Synonyms	Raja birostris, Brachioptilon hamiltoni, Cephalopterus manta, ... more
Common names	Manta, Manta ray, Atlantic manta, ... more

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens. 1994. (Ref. 6871)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : McEachran, John | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 910 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 58048); common length : 450 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 3176); max. published weight: 3,000.0 kg (Ref. 5377); max. reported age: 20 years (Ref. 31742)

Environment

Reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range 0 - 120 m (Ref. 58302), usually 0 - ? m (Ref. 55255)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 31°N - 35°S, 180°W - 180°E (Ref. 55255)

Circumtropical. Western Atlantic: Bermuda and South Carolina, USA and Brazil to Uruguay (Ref. 58839), occasionally farther north (Ref. 26938). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

A giant ray having an extremely broad head with long head fins, and a terminal mouth; upper surface of disc covered with denticles, and tail usually without a spine (Ref. 5578). Blackish above, sometimes with white shoulder patches; white below, with grey edging on disc (Ref. 5578). Tail whiplike but short (Ref. 7251).

Mainly in near-shore waters, near coral and rocky reefs; sometimes found over deep water (Ref. 12951). Penetrates shallow muddy bays and the intertidal and occurs off river mouths (Ref. 9911). Pelagic (Ref. 58302). Occurs singly or in loose aggregations (Ref. 12951). Mainly plankton feeders, but may feed on small and moderate-sized fishes as well (Ref. 9911). Leaps out the water mainly in spring and autumn, possibly as part of mating behavior (Ref. 31742). Easily approached (Ref. 9911). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 6902). Commonly caught by tuna gillnet and harpoon fisheries. Utilized for its gill filter plates (very high value), meat, cartilage and skin (Ref.58048). Liver yields oil and skin used as abrasive (Ref. 6902). World's largest ray (Ref. 37816).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Near Threatened (NT)	Harmless (Ref. 9911)

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tm=6; tmax=20; Fec=2)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high vulnerability (79 of 100)	Medium

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Wiethüchter, Anita

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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