Giant oceanic manta ray: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the giant oceanic manta ray lives – recorded in 22 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Mobula birostris
Group	Rays, skates & chimaeras
Status	Endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	22 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Myliobatiformes
Family	Myliobatidae

Where does the giant oceanic manta ray live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the giant oceanic manta ray in 22 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the giant oceanic manta ray endangered?

The giant oceanic manta ray’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the giant oceanic manta ray?

The giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Myliobatiformes and the family Myliobatidae, genus Mobula. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the giant oceanic manta ray

The giant oceanic manta ray, giant manta ray, oceanic manta ray, or pelagic manta ray (Mobula birostris) 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 (Mobula alfredi). 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.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Giant oceanic manta ray (revision 1372043644), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q321976 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).