Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 27, 2014

Manta rays are large eagle rays belonging to the genus Manta. The larger species, M. birostris, reaches 7 m (23 ft) in width while the smaller, M. alfredi (pictured), reaches 5.5 m (18 ft). Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. Mantas can be found in temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. M. birostris migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while M. alfredi tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they swallow with their open mouths as they swim. Gestation lasts over a year, producing live pups. Mantas may visit cleaning stations for the removal of parasites. Like whales, they breach, for unknown reasons. Both species are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Threats include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and direct harvesting for their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine, and their slow reproductive rate exacerbates these threats. Only a few aquariums are large enough to house them. In general, these large fish are seldom seen and difficult to study. (Full article...)

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