Mobula Ray


Mobula Ray are cartilaginous fishes that belong to the family Myliobatidae. They appear similar to Manta Rays, which are also in the same family. They are carnivorous and feed on mollusks, crustaceans and fish. They are amazing swimmers and are noted for their surface breaching ability of several meters. They have a well-formed rhomboidal body with a long tail and sub-terminal mouth. Their length varies, ranging from 48 centimetres to 9.1 meters. They weight about a ton. They are usually found in the shallow salt water.

Do you wish to see the treasure of nature live rather than on your T.V screen and have a lifetime experience with exuberant colors of nature, wonderful resting and dining facilities and friendly people? Then Montezuma tour is a must-to-make tour for you. Montezuma coastline with its beautiful islands such as Coco, Cocas, Catalina, and other places of scenic beauty, is a home to a wide variety of species of rays, humpback whales, sharks, sea turtles, sea horses and other marine animals. Sharing the diving with so many members of different species of marine organisms would make the visit to the underwater world all the more majestic.

Mobula ray is one of the fascinating varieties of rays found in the warm waters of Costa Rica and especially along the coastline of Montezuma, near the southern tip of Nicoya Peninsula. Mobula ray comes from the same genus as other rays and the same family Myliobatidae. Similar to the devil fish in appearance, the mobula ray have a massive size. Found in the deep waters of the Mediterranean, adjoining North Atlantic and part of Pacific, Mobula ray is still being researched about as this mysterious creature continues to fascinate the researchers and scientists. Outside the Mediterranean it is found along the coast of Africa from Morocco to Senegal, the Canary Islands, Madiera, and then towards the Pacific along the coastline of Costa Rica with the Catalina Islands having quite a lot of Mobula rays. It is found both in deep waters, ranging in depth from ten meters to several thousands, as well as shallow waters.

One of the special features of Mobula ray is its ability to breach very high, with recorded highest breaching about two meters above the water surface. It is often confused with the devil ray because of its two projecting horns formed by forward facing cephalic fins. It is a primary plankton eater and also eats crustaceans. When attacking prey, Mobula ray uses its horn to funnel the prey towards it mouth. It is viviparous, and the birth cycle is irregular and produces one offspring. The aplacental vivaparity, low birth rate, and the high hunting rate of mobula rays has contributed to their inclusion in the list of endangered species. The body disc of Mobula ray is twice as long as it is wide, and the upper portion is black or dark blue, with the lower ventral side and the tail being light yellow or white. Mobula rays have been spotted as solitary swimmers as well as in schools of small to great numbers.

It is unaggressive and doesn’t pose serious threat to the human beings at a distance, but when harpooned, hooked or put inside a boat it can cause serious damage thanks to its massive size. Mobula rays have been reported to have particularly tasty flesh, but even if the sale of mobula rays as a delicacy becomes popular, it will never gain commercial success due to the dwindling numbers of Mobula rays thanks to their low birth rate.

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobula

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