Coco Collection – Manta Rays

It’s that time of the year again, and this means that we have good news at Coco Bodu Hithi… MANTA RAYS! The animal kingdom is home to fascinating and mysterious creatures that can amaze your heart. We love having the Manta Rays from December till April every year.

MANTA Rays are found to be distributed only in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They visit North Malé-atoll as part of their migration around the Maldives. Coco Bodu Hithi, is only 15 minutes away by Dhoni is Rasfari North reef, a cleaning spot that Manta rays frequent for small fish to clean them. If you are lucky, there is a chance to spot these mesmerizing rays while snorkelling at this reef.

Reef Manta Rays are mostly solitary creatures, coming together only to mate and feed. When feeding, they can form loose aggregations of three, and large aggregations of as many as 150 individuals! When a Manta Ray is feeding, the cephalic lobes which are usually rolled like spirals on either side of their heads are straightened out to help funnel food into their large gaping mouths.Their diet consists basically of zooplankton.

You can even contribute to our citizen science projects and assist our marine biologist by taking pictures to identify Manta Rays.There are two species of Manta Rays: the reef manta (Manta alfredi) and the giant manta ray (Manta birostris). Both species are classified as “vulnerable” in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. To identify a Manta Ray, you need to look at its underside as each individual has a unique pattern of spots on its belly. This ventral view is not only important to identify individuals but it also reveals the sex of the Manta. The largest species is the giant manta ray, whose central disc can measure up to 9 meters wide.

Manta Rays have been observed jumping out of water, presumably to eliminate parasites or to communicate, although there is also the possibility that the act constitutes a game. They are agile and elegant swimming makes them being compared with birds flapping their wings during flight. Make sure to book your personalized Coco Bodu Hithi, Manta Ray adventure with IRIS Reps this New Year.