![]() ![]() She came so close, that we were able to take pictures of her fetal folds. We were overjoyed that the pup came incredibly close to us humans she was obviously new to the situation of feeding around the big lights at the manta ray viewing site. These crease marks were still showing on this “tiny” pup, and this was something that (to my knowledge) had never been reported on before about a live manta ray. Read all about the birth of manta ray babies (with pics and videos) on this page! The baby manta gets expelled from the mother with its pectoral fins folded behind its back (imagine: rolled up like a burrito), and so it makes sense that when the pup unfolds its wings to start swimming, there would be crease marks (aka fetal folds or birth wrinkles). This baby manta was about 2.5 feet.Īlthough manta rays are fish, their pups are born alive they only give birth to one pup at a time. Two days before Thanksgiving 2021, we were taking a group on a moonlight swim with manta rays when we saw a tiny manta.Īs far as manta rays can be tiny, of course: newborn reef mantas are usually around two to three feet (around 60-90 centimeters) from one fin tip to the other. In 2021, we had the privilege of meeting the smallest manta ray we’d ever seen – she must have been a newborn. But by observing manta ray mating rituals, the birth of a manta ray pup, and the pregnancy of individual manta rays (like the video footage we turned into Big Bertha’s pregnancy diary here), we’re learning more and more each year. It’s still unclear to us how baby manta rays develop, as it is hard to study ocean creatures this mysterious and elusive.
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