Rays

Rays are related to the sharks, having a cartilage skeleton and gill slits in places of gill covers. Their mouths are usually on the ventral side of the animal, for feeding on the sea bottom. They have flat bodies, great wing like pectoral fins and often a long thin tail. They swim by means of their pectoral fins.

Manta Rays
(Family Mobulidae)

These are among the largest of the fishes, with a wingspan of over 20 feet. They have developed a strange pair of flaps called cephalic fins that direct water into the mouth. They do not feed off the bottom, but in the water column.

Manta Ray
(Manta sp)

This species is dark on the back and white underneath with small dark, unique spots that are used to individually identify each animal during our night manta dives off the Kona Surf Hotel in Kailua-Kona. For years the bright lights from the hotel that shine down into the water have attracted them. They feed at night on the plankton that is attracted by these lights. They have grown accustomed to divers and even use their dive lights to help them feed.

No one really knows how many different species of mantas exist, which one is represented in Hawaii, or it maximum size or range. There does seem to be a separate, oceanic species that sometimes comes over the reef during the day. They are usually dark one both dorsal and ventral side, with white blotches here and there on both sides.

Eagle Rays
(Family Myliobatidae)

These animals have a distinct head, triangular wings, and a long slender tail that can exceed the length of the body. There is only one species in Hawaii.

Spotted Eagle Ray
(Aetobatus narinari)

This animal patrols the reef well above the bottom, often in groups that flap their wings in synchrony. It is light brown with white spots and long thin tails. It is often seen foraging for shellfish in the shallow waters.