The Manta Ray

Description:
The manta ray is closely related to the shark. It has a huge dark grey body, with a short tail. The manta ray in shaped just like the stingray, but it has two giant feelers on the front of its face. Also unlike the stingray, the manta ray does not have a stinging spine on the end of its tail. When a manta ray is at a juvenile age it has multiple white dots covering its back, but as the manta gets older those usually begin to fade. The manta ray has no teeth at all; it survives by sieving its food. The manta ray doesn't have any gums, but a pair of huge lips that trap its food inside of its mouth.

Life span:
Nobody knows the exact life span of a manta ray. It's even hard for them to get a guess idea right now. A tagged manta ray has reportedly lived for 10 years, but the age of the manta ray when tagged was unknown.

Average size:
The manta ray, by far none, is the largest ray in the marine world. The average length for a manta ray is 22.5 feet, but there have been reported record of 29.5 feet in length. The manta ray can way to a shocking 3,000 pounds, too.

Habitat:
The manta ray is found in seas, not oceans. They prefer to stay in tropical seas where it's warm, where they remain in the open waters. Even though the manta ray prefers to stay in open waters where it's big, they're also found close to shore. The manta ray is a very common ray to come by, and they're found worldwide.

Speed:
The manta ray is not your average speed demon, but a graceful swimmer that takes it's time. They move by waving their fins up and down, kind of like a ghost hovering. The manta ray only swims about 10 mph, but since it's so big, it seems to be moving a whole lot faster.

Reproduction:
The female manta ray can only give birth to one or two babies, per litter. The manta baby is also known as, a pup. When a manta pup is first born it's about 45 inches in length, but they grow very fast. Manta pups survive by eating microscopic plankton.

Food:
The manta ray, while in adult hood, will eat plankton, a wide variety of fish, and more crustaceans. The manta uses they two giant feelers on the front of it face to user their food to the mouth.