Manta Rays are Flat Sharks

[Music] manta rays are a fantastical animal and due to their alien looking appearance they are a clear inspiration for a lot of science fiction [Music] hi i'm danielle and you're watching animal logic manta rays are a genus of ray found all over the world in warm and temperate waters [Music] there are two species of manta ray the reef manta and the giant oceanic manta ray both are vulnerable [Music] giant manta rays can be easily distinguished from wreath mantas by their caudal thorn or spine this is believed to be a vestigial organ the evolutionary remains of what was once a stinger [Music] their habitats are also quite different reef mantas prefer to stick closer to the coast while giant mantas are more pelagic and prefer the open ocean their depth range is massive and they can be found anywhere between ten and a thousand meters deep this is pretty impressive as they're able to handle a pressure change of over a hundred times at their deepest depth both species are covered in dermal denticles which are v-shaped scales that protect them and reduce drag when swimming in giant mantas these tentacles are cusped making them rough to the touch unlike reef mantas which are smooth giant manta rays are true to their name their wingspan averages 7 meters the largest manta ray wingspan ever recorded was 9.1 meters that's almost twice as long as a large nile crocodile [Music] these massive animals are large enough to afford very few natural predators and the only ones that they have to worry about are some sharks orcas and of course humans mantas are famous for their alien-looking diamond-shaped bodies their eyes are located on the sides of their heads giving them strong lateral vision [Music] their gills are located on their underbellies and they have two horn-shaped cephalic fins which they use to guide water and prey into their large mouths because of these fins they're the only known vertebrates to have three paired appendages [Music] unlike most other rays mantas are filter feeders because of this their mouths are not located on the bottom of their heads and instead are right up front [Music] also unlike other species of ray mantas are unable to sit on the sea floor and they need to be continually moving in order to pass water over their gills to be able to breathe manta rays can form massive groups of up to 1500 members these huge packs are migratory and follow zooplankton their movement can also be affected by tidal patterns seasonal upwelling and mating [Music] to feed they open up their massive mouths and funnel shrimp copepods decapod larvae and other zooplankton into their stomachs often the packs will feed together creating a large feeding train in areas rich with prey being filter feeders mantas end up with a lot of ocean in their mouths so why don't they clear their throats well these filter feeders have pretty ingenious mouths and have figured out how to solve the problem of their filters clogging as well as how to capture things that are smaller than their filter holes essentially their filtration system allows for particles to flow over it rather than through it this causes the zooplankton to bounce off the filter while the water drains away keeping it from getting clogged and requiring cleaning while manta rays astonish in many categories one of their most breathtaking behaviors are their acrobatics like many species of ray mantas leap out of the water this fantastically delightful display remains a mystery it's possible they launch themselves out of the water as part of a mating ritual or to communicate with other rays or possibly to get rid of parasites whatever it is keep on flying my dudes [Music] [Music] both species of manta ray are threatened recently they've been caught in increasing numbers to satisfy the need for gill rakers in the traditional chinese medicine market what is it is it manta ray the kilogram of gill rakers can sell for five hundred dollars [Music] they market these gill rakers as a way to rid your body of toxins but this isn't supported by science and possibly even more frustratingly it isn't even supported by traditional chinese medical texts [Music] the demand for gill rakers in china has been manufactured to make up for the lesson demand for shark fin due to their low reproductive output their populations are down by 80 percent in some areas fortunately some countries have found a solution indonesia has banned the fishing of manta rays as they discovered that a living manta is worth up to two thousand times more than a dead one a dead manta ray may sell for five hundred dollars but a living manta can produce up to a million dollars throughout its lifespan and tourism [Music] both species of manta ray are found in indonesia and this massive conservation area will hopefully begin to see a boom in their numbers unfortunately we don't always let our conscience wear decision making and oftentimes it's our wallet that wins out this decision was crucial and it yet again shows that coexisting with nature is not only possible but profitable so what animal should i talk about next please let me know in the comments and be sure to subscribe for new episodes of animal logic every week thanks for watching [Music]

Channel: Animalogic

Views: 756,538

Keywords: animals, animal, logic, education, show, animalogic, crazy, ugly, weird, gross, beautiful, interesting, facts, animalsfacts, about, information, info, school, research, learn, learning, fun, easy, smart, manta, ray, star, wars, sting, mobula, devil, jump, jumping, leaping, leap, filter, feeder, science fiction, wild, ocean, deep, blue, sea

Id: OHlXGcawrHo

Length: 7min 42sec (462 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 22 2019