Giant manta ray Facts for Kids

Giant manta rays glide through the sea like underwater birds. Their wide fins flap like wings. They scoop up tiny food with a wide-open mouth.

A manta ray has two curly flaps beside its mouth that steer plankton in as it swims. It has no stinger, so it is harmless to people. The spots on its belly are different on every manta.

Giant manta rays are the largest rays in the world, and they are fish related to sharks, with skeletons made of bendy cartilage instead of bone. They swim all the time, flapping their wings slowly, and special filters inside the mouth sieve plankton from the water. At reefs, mantas visit cleaning stations, where small fish pick pests off their skin. A mother usually has just one pup at a time, so mantas recover slowly; they are endangered because they are caught in nets, and many countries now protect them.