Talk:Manta ray

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manta rays are straight hood

i have your Photo taken for http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantarochen , tx.

Contents 1 Breaching 2 dangerous? 3 Bone or no bone 4 minor edits 5 average size 6 The largest / average sizes 7 Mouth size 8 Idiocy! article needs a rehaul. 9 Novel Limbs?

[edit] Breaching

I removed a section on breaching. The reference was to an amateur photographer's website, and by his own admission didn't exactly know what type and stuff it was. It also had a comment in the middle of the paragraph. If somebody would like to rewrite and get a new reference, a section on this subject would probably be good.hello hehe=]

Here is what I removed:

Mantas have recently been captured on film while breaching [1] - this reference does not show mantas, but smaller rays! This had been reported in the past, but without any conclusive evidence. In the last few years, sharks have also been photographed while leaping out of the water. While especially Great White sharks breach while hunting seals near the surface, the reason for this behavior in rays is currently unknown, though may be to dislodge loose dead skin & parasites when impacting back on the water. It's distant cousin of the stingray, which is considerably smaller in stature, but somewhat more aggresive.

Triikan 20:46, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] dangerous?

Are manta's dangerous? I know they are quite large but would they eat or intentionally attack a human without provocation? Also, are they poisonous?

I don't think a manta *could* eat a human, even if you held your finger in its mouth. I have never heard of a manta attacking a human, provoked or unprovoked. I believe only some of the rays equipped with stingers are poisonous, and those are not posisonous enough to kill an adult. The giant rays (Pacific) do not have stingers.

Mantas are very peaceful, they do not attack humans. I have swam with them on numerous occations and they are a popular attraction at some dive locations in the right season where scuba divers dive with them daily. Stefan 14:22, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

From what I read, mantas are perfectly gentle. However, some have jumped into small boats, unintentionally sinking them. --Gray Porpoise 23:49, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

ya dog

[edit] Bone or no bone

In South Korea, the people eat sting rays with the bone in them. In France, they eat them without the bone.

Rays are Chondrichthyians, and like sharks, have no bones. They are cartilagenous. At times, some remains surprisingly contain bone remnants.

[edit] minor edits

Have changed a few bits of the artice. Changed 'Some believe Manta Rays evolved from'...because it sounds a bit creationist. Some of the english in here isn't great either. And I think people also need to cite their sources for some of the info. Moa nalo

It doesn't sound creationist to me. It says the disagreement is about what mantas evolved from, not whether they evolved at all.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.232.225.18 (talk)

Better to leave it as a statement of uncertainty if it's not certain. --Gray Porpoise^{Phocoenidae, not Delphinidae} 16:32, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] average size

What is the average size of a manta ray? I've read the article but the only information is gives me there is the largest. I really need this information for a school project' due 4/23/07 (next monday to be exact) but i have a few more questins also, like how they adapt to pressure and light. Thank you!--76.106.31.207 19:48, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

From personal knowledge not in this article: Three pacific mantas I have seen are estimated at 13 ft, 11 ft, and 12.5 feet, using lasers to measure across the pectoral fins. Estimates sit at around 2000 lb in mass, but that's only from observation and collision. Mantas can swim to 720 ft of depth thanks in part to the large amount of fluid in their bodies, and have shown no adverse reaction to having numerous dive lights shone in their faces. If you click on the reference links at the bottom of the article, you will likely find more information than the article provides. Good luck on the project! 198.53.181.248 01:41, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The largest / average sizes

This page reads that the largest mantas are 2.5 meters across, however I have found contradicting information at: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=49 which gives estimates of 6-7m on average and up to 9m which seems more in line with what I remember hearing on the discovery channel. I'm no expert though : ( —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.128.178.13 (talk) 02:49, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mouth size

The manta ray's mouth can hold 4 full grown men at once? Oh, really..? Even though the pic to the right makes that seem a little unlikely?

Should we tag this with citation needed? 75.175.0.56 (talk) 05:31, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Idiocy! article needs a rehaul.

Some piece of trash has vandalized this article. Ignorance is not funny. whoever did this just grow up already and get a life. Some people actually use wikipedia as a educational resource.

See bolded sections.

...A giant manta's eyes are located at the base of the cephalic lobes on each side of the head, and unlike other rays it is able to emit gamma rays from them. It uses these gamma rays to hunt prey and ward of predators, and it is due to this defense mechanism that when encountered they must immediately and without questioning be lept upon and wrestled to submission. Their skin is approximately three inches thick and composed of a Kevlar-polyurethane mixture, which serves to keep heat in and bullets out. Manta rays also used to posses the ability to fly, when they first descended upon Earth roughly 1,000 years ago, as documented in the bible, however, they have since lost this ability and descended into the ocean's water depths to await Earth's salvation. ...

Is there a way to find out who made these changes and block their ip address from wikipedia? should be... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.180.74.129 (talk) 13:04, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

edit: nevermind, i figured out how to revert the changes that were made by the vandal XD still, these ppl should be banned. - TheMightyX —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.180.74.129 (talk) 13:12, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Novel Limbs?

Near the beginning of the article it mentions that the Manta Ray has "novel limbs"

This gives the Manta ray the distinction of being the only jawed vertebrate to have novel limbs (the so-called six-footed tortoise (Manouria emys) does not actually have six legs, only enlarged tuberculate scales on their thighs that look superficially like an extra pair of hind limbs).

I don't know what they mean by novel limbs and I get the feeling alot of other people don't either.--Samineru (talk) 20:14, 10 February 2008 (UTC)