Giant oceanic manta ray
Scientific name: Mobula birostris (Walbaum, 1792)
Overview
The giant oceanic manta ray, giant manta ray, oceanic manta ray, or pelagic manta ray is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae and the largest type of ray in the world. It is circumglobal and is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters but can also be found in temperate waters. Until 2017, the species was classified in the genus Manta, along with the smaller reef manta ray. DNA testing revealed that both mantas are closer related to some Mobula species than these are to other Mobula, being claded together. As a result, the two Manta species were absorbed into Mobula to reflect the new classification.
From the Wikipedia article “Giant oceanic manta ray”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
Common names
Also known in English as Chevron Manta Ray, Giant manta ray, Oceanic Manta Ray, Pacific Manta Ray, Pelagic Manta Ray.
Names in other languages (11)
- Chinese
- 双吻前口蝠鲼, 雙吻前口蝠鱝, 飛魴仔, 鬼蝠魟, 鷹魴
- French
- Raie manta océanique
- German
- Riesenmanta
- Hindi
- ओशनिक मंटा रे
- Indonesian
- Pari manta raksasa
- Japanese
- オニイトマキエイ
- Persian
- سفرهماهی بزرگ اقیانوسی
- Portuguese
- jamanta
- Russian
- манта
- Spanish
- Manta birostris, Manta Gigante, Mantarraya
- Turkish
- Deniz şeytanı
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: FishBase.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q321976, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Giant oceanic manta ray”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — jon hanson from london, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026