![]() ![]() In a new study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, NOAA scientists and. The giant oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris) is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae, and the largest type of ray in the world. They are highly mobilethey move quite a bit and need protection in areas both where they travel and where they live. The species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Male manta rays reach maturity after six years, and females are thought to mature at 8-10 years of age longevity is estimated to be at least 40 years. The giant manta is the only manta ray recorded from New Zealand. More recent research suggests there is a third species in the Northwest Atlantic. But bits of plankton, instead of getting sucked into these vortices, ricochet off the lobes back toward the manta’s esophagus, to be swallowed. The giant manta ray is a filter feeder with a wing span of up to 29 feet. Not maturing until 8 or more years of age, it means that a giant manta ray may only have 47 pups during its lifetime. However, in 2009 two species were recognised: the giant or oceanic manta, and the reef manta. When water comes into the manta’s mouth, it flows between the lobes forming swirling vortices before eventually swooshing out to exit the ray’s mouth. The filter is made of a series of long, cartilaginous lobes arranged in parallel, with tiny gaps in between. ![]() The manta ray’s mouth filter defies convenient kitchen analogies, the team found. BIG GULP A filter in the mouth of a giant oceanic manta ray ( Manta birostris) forces plankton to change direction, enabling the filter to capture tiny organisms that could just pass through its pores. Computer programs also helped calculate the trajectories of particles of different sizes. A relatively rare visitor to the waters of the Dutch Caribbean is the giant manta ray, the largest of all ray species. The team placed the model filter in a tank filled with dye to track how water and planktonlike particles move through it. Paig-Tran and her colleagues took CT scans of several manta ray species specimens from museums, then 3-D printed a replica of the filter found in one species, the giant oceanic manta ray ( Manta birostris). ![]()
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