These giant creatures are extremely curious and can be playful. They have developed areas for learning, problem solving and communication, creating the possibility for them to be self-aware. However, on occasion, killer whales have also been observed preying on the manta. For newborn manta rays, using shallow sheltered habitats like lagoons as a nursery is crucial to ensure their survival. Manta rays have the largest brain relative to body size of all known species of fish. The manta ray's predators include mainly large sharks.

The egg has a thin membranous egg case and the baby manta rays hatch in the female’s oviduct and remain inside.

Nobody knows why this behavior is exhibited, but some think that is to help attract a mate. Manta rays are ovoviviparous which means that they produce eggs but the egg hatches inside the mother where the young mantas mature and the mother gives birth to live young ovum (egg), vivius (alive), and papere (to produce). Groups of these animals will sometimes act together as if doing a performance. Those nicknames come from the horn-shaped fins on their face, called cephalic fins. There are three types of jumps that mantas perform, forward jumps (landing head first), forward jumps (landing tail first), and somersaulting. Animals Network Team Manta rays, also known as devil rays, or devilfish, are large members of the eagle ray family. Mantas have been observed breaching, jumping clear of the water, and returning with a splash. Mantas sometimes swim in loose aggregations and spend a considerable time near the surface. The manta will sometimes migrate into warmer waters. It is usually observed near the surface or in the mid-waters of reefs and lagoons. Ī manta's habitat ranges from near shore to the continental shelf near reef habitats and offshore islands. manta ray, also called devil ray, any of several genera of marine rays comprising the family Mobulidae (class Selachii). Mantas eat plankton, fish larvae, and small organisms that are filtered out of the water by their gills using a type of filter feeding that is called ram-jet feeding.

Mother and baby manta ray