You might think that feeding for a manta ray is a pretty straight forward process; simply find the plankton, unfurl your cephalic fins and open your mouth! But it’s not quite that simple, in fact my research has shed new light on the wide variety of different strategies which manta rays employ to maximise their food intake for effort expended.
Most of my research focuses on the resident manta species which inhabit the reef systems of the Maldives, but every now and then I encounter one of the giant manta species, and sometimes they are feeding. In August I came across the giant manta pictured here feeding in a previously un-documented manor. I’ve seen mantas barrel rolling, feeding in mass groups, scouring the seabed and lining up in chains to feed, but I have never seen a manta feed on its side before!
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For most divers seeing a whale shark is at the top of their ‘must see’ list, a once in a lifetime experience to swim with the biggest fish on our planet. I will always remember the first time I saw a whale shark; it was just a glimpse of a huge dark shadow, the shark’s giant tail cutting scythe-like motions through the water as it disappeared down into the gloom y depths. That was back in 2003 and over the last six years I have been lucky enough to see many dozens of these giant tadpoles. However, my good fortune with encounters has not diminished my fascination for whale sharks, nor has it reduced the awe and excitement I feel each time I immerse myself in the water with a fish large enough to create a shadow so big that when it swims over your head you think a cloud has covered the sun.
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Every year in the Maldives I see dozens of manta rays with injuries caused by fishing line entanglements. While the hooks, which often get stuck in the mantas mouth’s, rarely cause any long-term injuries, the trailing line itself is a real killer. Manta rays regularly feed by somersaulting in tight loops; this barrel rolling wraps the trailing line around their bodies where it then begins to cut deep into the animal’s skin, just like a cheese wire. The end result is often the loss of a cephalic fin, major scaring or, for the unlucky individuals which are unable to break free, death.
Watch the video of Guy talking about his amazing manta rescue.
I have heard many stories about entangled mantas approaching divers, circling them as if reaching out for help and then allowing themselves to be cut free, even though considerable pain must be endured by the manta in the process. Many of these stories appear genuine and, if true, the implications for such seemingly ‘clever’ thought processes on the mantas behalf makes you really start to think about the question-How intelligent are manta rays? I have spent hundreds of hours of my life in the water with manta rays and I have always felt there is more going on behind their eyes than is generally believed or known. When I watch a manta and wonder what it is thinking, I get the distinct impression that it is doing the same thing to me.
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You might think that feeding for a manta ray is a pretty straight forward process; simply find the plankton, unfurl your cephalic fins and open your mouth! But it’s not quite that simple, in fact my research has shed new light on the wide variety of different strategies which manta rays employ to maximise their food intake for effort expended.
