Sicklefin Devil Ray | Mobula tarapacana

Atlantic manta and devil ray species identification

Photo credit: (L) Joao Rodrigues. (R) Danny Copeland/Manta Trust.

Key Characteristics:

  • Olive green colored body

  • No white shadow above the eye

  • White stomach with grey shading on the rear section of the stomach. Zigzagging margin between white stomach & grey shading.

Size:

  • Max Total Width: 340cm (~11 ft)

  • Average Total Width: 200-270cm (~6.5-8.5ft)

  • Weight: up to 300kg (~882lbs)

Oceanic Manta Ray | Mobula birostris

Key Characteristics:

  • Broad head with long cephalic lobes (the protruding “horns”)

  • Front-facing mouth (as opposed to downward-facing)

  • Small bump at the base of the tail

  • The white shoulder markings on the dorsal (back) side form two mirror-shaped right-angled triangles, creating a black “T”

Size:

  • Max Total Width: 700cm (~23 ft)

  • Average Total Width: 400-500cm (~13-16.5ft)

  • Weight: up to 2,000kg (~4,410lbs)

Photo credit: Guy Stevens/Manta Trust.

Atlantic Manta Ray | Mobula yarae

Photo credit: Guy Stevens/Manta Trust.

Key Characteristics:

  • Black ‘T’ shape between white shoulder markings tapers together towards the bottom.

  • If present, belly (ventral) spots clustered around lower abdominal region.

  • Often have large shaded patches on the belly below the gills.

Size:

  • Max Total Width: 481cm (~15.8 ft)

  • Average Total Width: 300-400cm (~9.8-13.1ft)

  • Weight: up to 1,077kg (~2,374lbs)

Spinetail Devil Ray | Mobula mobular

Photo credit: (L) Duncan Murrell. (R) Frederic Bassemayousse.

Key Characteristics:

  • White stomach (no spots/marks)

  • Back (dorsal) side is dark blue to black

  • White patches on the tips of the cephalic lobes (the protruding “horns”)

  • Gill openings are white

  • Spine at the base of the tail

  • White-tipped dorsal fin

Size:

  • Max Total Width: 320cm (~10.5 ft)

  • Average Total Width: 180-280cm (~5.9-9.2ft)

  • Weight: up to 300kg (~661lbs)

Bentfin Devil Ray | Mobula thurstoni

Photo credit: (L) Guy Stevens/Manta Trust. (R) Marc Sentis.

Key Characteristics:

  • Stomach mostly white, with dark shadows on the edge of the front

  • Blue to black color on back (dorsal) side

Size:

  • Max Total Width: 183cm (~6 ft)

  • Average Total Width: 135cm (~4.4ft)

  • Weight: up to 200kg (~441lbs)

Atlantic Pygmy Devil Ray | Mobula hypostoma

Key Characteristics:

  • Bakcoloration varies from light brown to black.

  • Some have a dark grey “collar” between their eyes

  • Dorsal fin has a dark rim along the margins

Size:

  • Max Total Width: 134cm (~4.4 ft)

  • Average Total Width: 110cm (~3.6ft)

  • Weight: up to 24kg (~53lbs)

Photo credit: (L&R) Guy Stevens/Manta Trust

Species Identification text adapted from ISSF Saving the Mobula Rays poster and Manta Trust’s Manta and Devil Ray Species pages.

Manta and devil ray artwork by Julie Johnson - Life Science Studios.

Manta and devil ray photos obtained from the Manta Trust website.

This research effort is led by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - School for Marine Science & Technology, in collaboration with Marine Megafauna Foundation, Manta Trust, Manta Catalog Azores, Conservation Ecology Lab at San Diego State University, and Mobula Conservation Project.